BY PRINCE EJAKPOMEVI
Civil servants in Delta State across all levels of government are feeling the strain as the Federal Government rolls out its new tax policy, with unexpected deductions in workers’ salaries.
While the policy aims to improve revenue generation, many workers say it has brought financial and operational challenges.
To get a grasp of the situation, our correspondent spoke with multiple civil servants to get their opinion on the development.
Speaking on the tax reforms, a government official who only identified as Mr Anthony, said, “The government is unfairly imposing higher taxes on the masses. There is no steady power supply, bad roads everywhere, and when you enter hospitals, there is no good equipment, so what is the reason for the tax?
“We were already bleeding from the previous tax being collected from us, yet the government is imposing more taxes on us, and to be honest, we are not comfortable, and it’s frustrating financially, which is not funny at all,” he said.
Similarly, Mr John Bosco, also a government official, noted that the current salary paid to civil servants is barely enough to support their families, and with recent cuts, the financial burden has become even heavier.
According to another worker, Mrs Charity, “I don’t know how the government expects us to react to the new tax reform. Almost every day, the price of items increases, school fees for my children are also very high, and all these expenses are on the same salary, which is financially draining on my family.”
Meanwhile, another respondent, Mr Jude (surname withhold), said, “Since I heard about the new tax policy, I wasn’t too happy. Two of my children are in university, and the cost of their school fees and accommodation is outrageous.
‘’I often have to borrow money from my office cooperative, and now the government is imposing even more tax on my already limited salary. Honestly, it feels unfair and is making life unbearable.”
Also speaking on the matter, another civil servant, Mr Ifeanyi, said, “The situation is a little difficult for me, but I would prefer the government increase the salaries of civil servants so that our burden can be eased a little.”
While the reforms have generated debate and concern in public discourse, the government has maintained that they are not designed simply to raise taxes arbitrarily but to create a fairer, transparent system that improves revenue generation for public services and national development.
