Doctors in Lagos under the umbrella of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, on Tuesday embarked on an indefinite strike to press on their displeasure with the implementation of a new tax law that they have described as “exorbitant” and “lacking uniform application.”
The doctors had proceeded on a three-day warning strike, which they suspended last week Thursday, claiming that the hospital management and the Lagos State Tax Authority had started holding meetings with them in order to get the necessary clarification on the dictates of the tax law.
“Tax is a question of law, law passed by the National Assembly; as law abiding citizens, we should comply with what the law says and implement it,” Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Akin Osibogun had said after the suspension of the strike.
The doctors had accused the management of LUTH of deducting huge amounts from their monthly salaries as tax.
At the premises of LUTH on Tuesday, most of the wards were devoid of patients
And the few on admission were already finalising arrangements that would see them leave the hospital.
The ARD believes that the strike would force the management of the institution to revert to the old tax system, which is a way of “cheating” the doctors. It has also expressed concerns over the significant difference in the income tax of its members when compared to that of doctors in other institutions.
“The management has over-applied the Federal Government’s new tax law, without bothering to consult with us,” claimed an ARD official.
