5th October, 2011
The Ogun House of Assembly has summoned the state Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Folakemi Adeosun and the Chairman, Inland Revenue Services, Mr Babajide Odubanjo, over the new tax policy of the state government.
The order for their appearance was given on Tuesday by the Speaker, Mr Suraj Adekunbi, during the plenary session of the House.
Adeosun and Odubanjo are to appear before the Assembly on Thursday by 10. 00 a.m.
The Speaker also invited the leadership of the state branch of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for a meeting over the same issue.
The labour leaders are to meet the legislators on the same day by 3.00 p.m.
Adekunbi said the meeting had become necessary to end the raging controversy trailing the introduction of a new tax regime in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workers and the state government had been at loggerheads since the introduction of the new tax policy in July.
The workers alleged that the Amosun-led administration had increased the income tax by 300 per cent.
Gov. Ibikunle Amosun who said the workers were paying more tax under the new policy, however, argued that it was consistent with the law.
He alleged that the computation of the income tax under the previous administration was faulty.
The NLC and TUC had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government effective from Tuesday, to reverse the new policy.
This followed an earlier 14-day ultimatum issued a fortnight ago in which the unions threatened to declare a trade dispute if the government failed to accede to their demand.
The Speaker, however, said the House needed to be properly briefed by all the parties to enable it to perform its oversight function on the matter.