IPPIS: Polytechnic senior staff decry high taxation

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) has described as “unbearable” the current tax charged on its members by the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

NAN reports that in a communique jointly signed by Adebajo Ogundipe, the national president of the association, and Emmanuel Enendem, its acting secretary-general, the body said it can no longer endure the situation.

The communique was issued at the end of a two-day general executive council (GEC) meeting and special delegates conference of the association.

Ogundipe said that the council-in-session observed that since the IPPIS took over the payment of members’ salaries in February last year, the tax regime had increased unbearably with untold hardship on members.

“This singular factor that gave reason for the regressive tax was the erroneous calculation of the tax based on the consolidated salaries rather than the basic salaries,” he said.

“We call on IPPIS and other relevant government agencies to expeditiously take appropriate action and calculate taxes of members based on basic salary rather than consolidated salary as it is being currently done.”

The association’s president said the position of the council-in-session was that the IPPIS should stop placing a tax on earned allowances henceforth.

According to him, the council has also called on the accountant-general of the federation (AGF) to desist from the plan to delve into the legitimate emoluments of its members in a guise to claim the tax liabilities in the interest of industrial harmony.

He said the council also expressed its displeasure over the delay in re-constitute governing councils of federal polytechnics.

Ogundipe said that the tenue of the last council expired on May 11, 2020, and that some state governments were yet to constitute and inaugurate their governing councils for their respective polytechnics.

The SSANIP president also said the council expressed displeasure over the delay in the release of promotion arrears for federal and state-owned polytechnics.

He revealed that the council noticed that in spite of the elongation of the retirement age from 60 to 65 years for the polytechnic staff, some state-owned polytechnics were yet to implement the 65-year retirement age. ​

Ogundipe noted that other demands of the council included the call for the implementation of Needs Assessment Report of 2014 and the usurpation of non-teaching staff positions by some polytechnic management.