Lawyers on the platform of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, has set Tuesday, March 13, to protest against excessive and arbitrary tax regime in Lagos State, if after seven days Governor Akinwunmi Ambode did not reverse the hellish tax.
Speaking on the planned protest during a press briefing on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Branch, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, said the protest march will start from the Branch Secretariat in Ikeja all the way to the Lagos State Secretariat in Alausa and its tagged “Hell Tax Must Go”.
Ogunlana said the branch is set to begin the first phase of critical and constructive response to the decidedly insensitive, provocative arbitrary and parochial tax agenda programme and meltudily against Ambode’s administration.
“Few weeks ago, Lagosians woke up to learn about the hyper-inflated rate of the so called “Land Use Charge” which the Governor of Lagos has escalated upwards 400 percent.
“Recently, one of our colleagues who regularly pay the sum of under N140,000 as LUC for office building received a notice of the LUC demand, he is now to pay the amount of N2 million.
“Few weeks ago, Lagosians woke up to learn about the hyper-inflated rate of the so called “Land Use Charge” which the Governor of Lagos has escalated upwards 400 percent.
“Recently, one of our colleagues who regularly pay the sum of under N140,000 as LUC for office building received a notice of the LUC demand, he is now to pay the amount of N2 million.
“If these tax rates are allowed, Lagos state would be turned into a ‘Toxic Environment and a living hell’ for Lagosians.
Ogunlana said that the increase in property tax of the LUC will have an adverse effect on all other services and function in Lagos state as owners of properties and services will automatically transfer other financial burdens to their customers who will have to bear the burden or crumble.
He opines that it is absurd that the Governor is seeking dialogue after its government has deliberately and selfishly created the situation in the first instance.
“My view is that the government of Lagos State has lost sync with the difficult and harsh realities of life of the people of Lagos and has taken their support and goodwill for his government for granted.”
Ogunlana demands for a scrapping of the move by the Lagos State Government, by its new tax regime to turn the state into a hell.
“Life will become not only too expensive but volatile and dangerous.
“The Government cannot hide under “Developing Lagos into a Mega Smart City” to kill Lagosians with Pharaoic Taxes,” he said.
