NIPOST, FIRS at war over stamp duty
Over 15,000 jobs may be lost in the ongoing imbroglio between Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) and the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) over the jurisdiction of the two in respect of stamp duty production.
This is even as the Organised Labour in NIPOST, Senior Staff of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) yesterday issued a 21 day ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve the crisis, failure which it threatened to embark on indefinite strike.
Addressing the media yesterday, the General Secretary of the union, Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi said the FIRS on 30th June 2020 against any known law produced and launched its owned brand of adhesive stamp thereby hijacking and taking over the function of NIPOST.
He said the union recognize the power conferred on FIRS to collect stamp duties just as that of the NIPOST power to produce and issue stamps, adding that these must be acknowledged and recognized in implementing the Finance Act.
“Therefore it is illegal for FIRS to produce stamp to denote duties when it can be procured from NIPOST. It should be noted that stamp is a product of NIPOST as given to it by law. The Finance Act did not give any power to FIRS to produce stamp. In other word to utilize stamp for duties FIRS must get it from NIPOST,” he said.
He expressed that as it is, many Nigerians have stopped purchasing adhesive stamps from NIPOST, stating that if not challenged and nip in the bud will ultimately lead to the collapse of NIPOST and the staff will have to lose their jobs.
He said, “In respect to job loss, we will not lose anything less than 15,000 workers and when you look at that, the multiplier effect on the economy and the saturation of unemployment market, you will know that it will be a catastrophe waiting to happen and we have said we will not allow that to happen.
“We are surprised that in spite of our appeal that the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) should not kill the NIPOST, all efforts are being made to throw the organization into oblivion.
