By Festus Ahon

UGHELLI- ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Delta State University, Abraka chapter, has condemned the alleged 600 per cent increase in the monthly tax paid by workers of the university by the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue.

Addressing newsmen, Thursday, the chapter chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Mordi, said: “Congress has observed that the tax being implemented is oppressive, unjust, outrageous, obnoxious and fails to reflect the status of Delta State as an oil producing state.

“This is against the backdrop that Delta State collected over N45 billion from the Federation Account in August 2011. Congress insists that the tax law the state government is implementing is a federal law and wonders why Delta State Government is being more Catholic than the Pope in the implementation of the obnoxious tax, which is awaiting review in the National Assembly.

“The tax is a violation of Personal Income Tax Law of Nigeria and Personal Income Tax Act, PITA, passed by the National Assembly in 2004 as amended in 2010. This is a federation operating a federal system of government. Therefore, a state university should not be imposed with additional burden of having to operate with federal taxation law.”

Speaking further, he expressed the preparedness of the chapter to join the National Executive Council of the union in the strike action beginning from September 25, to press for full implementation of ASUU/FGN agreement with emphasis on the 70 years retirement age for professorial cadre, should government fail to accede to their demand.

According to Mordi, the union believes in democracy, adding, “we have a democratically-elected governor and he should handle it democratically in the interest of peace. We had resolved to meet with government officials as a first step to the peaceful resolution of the issue.”