Union sues FG over stamp duties charge collection

There are indications that the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) has dragged the Federal Government to court over the transfer of collection of stamp duties charge from the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Recall that both agencies have been engaged in a cold war on who is empowered by the law to assess, collect and account for the charge.

But the recent signing of the Finance Act by President Muhammadu Buhari, stripped NIPOST of the responsibility and handed the mandate over to the FIRS.

However, the National Treasurer of Trade Union Congress (TUC) and immediate past President-General of SSASCGOC, Mohammad Yunusa, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja over the weekend, disclosed that the Federal Government has already been dragged to court over the matter.

He said: “The problem we have is the one that is connected to the Federal Government directly is about the Finance Act. The Finance Act has given the primary functions of NIPOST which is one of our branches to FIRS and we have challenged government on this matter even to the court that, that Finance Act must be reversed.

“You can’t take the statutory function of NIPOST and give to other agency in the disguise of Finance Act, we can’t accept it.

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“Is there any organization by law that is allowed to produce and sell stamps in Nigeria apart from NIPOST? That’s what they are trying to do but it is not acceptable to us.”

Commenting on the privatisation of the Nigerian Communications Satellites, Yunusa, who stressed that his union would do everything possible in its rights to ensure the plan by government was not achieved, said that the agency would go into extinction immediately it’s being privatised.

“The Federal Government is trying to interfere in the Nigerian Communications Satellites (NigComSat). Although, to a great extent, we have settled that matter but they have not entirely removed their hands.

“Government is thinking of privatising that organisation with the excuse that they are not generating enough revenue. But we are saying No!

“Once you privatise that organisation, especially with insecurity in Nigeria, all manners of bandits and insurgents will take over that place because the people you’re privatising to, only God knows what they would do with that enterprise after you have privatised it to them.

“To some extent, government has listened to us, but we can still see some signs that they have not removed their hands entirely.”

TheStar