The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has firmly rejected the Federal Government’s proposed five per cent tax on petroleum products, denouncing it as a “reckless act of economic wickedness” and issuing a 14-day ultimatum for its withdrawal.
According to a statement jointly signed by TUC President Festus Osifo and General Secretary Nuhu Toro, the union described the proposal as an unacceptable burden on already over-taxed Nigerians.
They warned that failure to rescind the policy within two weeks would force the union to “mobilise Nigerian workers and the masses for a total nationwide resistance.”
The TUC leaders emphasised that Nigerians are still grappling with the fallout from subsidy removal, soaring fuel prices, escalating food costs, and a weakening naira.
“This reckless proposal is nothing but an act of economic wickedness against already overburdened Nigerians,” their statement read.
They added: “To now introduce another levy on petroleum products is to deliberately compound suffering, cripple businesses, and push millions of citizens deeper into poverty.”
Defending the surcharge, Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, insisted the tax is not new.
He explained that it had existed under the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (Amendment) Act of 2007 and had merely been restated in the current tax legislation to promote harmonisation and transparency. He further noted that over 150 countries impose similar or higher rates.
Yet, TUC is insistent, saying “The TUC…urge the Federal Government to immediately stop this anti-people’s plan in its entirety. Failure to do so will leave us with no option but to mobilise Nigerian workers and the masses for a total nationwide resistance.”
They confirmed that strike action is firmly on the table should the government proceed with implementing the tax.
Furthermore, the TUC directed all its state councils, affiliates, and organisational structures to remain vigilant and await further communication, which might culminate in a decisive action if the government disregards public sentiment.
In a call for solidarity, the union appealed to civil society organisations, professional bodies, student unions, market associations, faith leaders, and all patriotic Nigerians to join its struggle against policies that threaten economic justice.
“Enough is enough. Nigerians deserve economic justice, not endless punishment,” the statement concluded.
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