The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has advocated for a proper implementation of tax justice to enable higher-income earners in the country to pay higher taxes than low-income earners.
Mr Eustace James, NLC Focal Person on Tax Justice, made the call in an interview on Friday in Abuja.
“Those who occupy public offices, those who erect mighty buildings with public funds, and yet they don’t pay taxes, should be made to pay taxes accordingly, ” he said.
He decried the system where low-income earners and the vulnerable in society pay higher and double taxes while those occupying high public offices do not pay taxes.
“Tax justice is about bringing equity and justice to tax payments, about people paying based on what they earn. It is about eliminating extortion and exploitation of the poor as well as taxing on the basis of pure justice,” he said.
He explained that the poor are those who are exploited and extorted in the name of multiple taxes, while the rich keep invading and avoiding taxes.
According to him, the tax justice campaign has brought tax payments into the limelight to address inequality and injustice.
“We in NLC have no other option but to key into this campaign and to also be the champions of tax justice and good governance, ” he said.