Resident doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital,Idi-Araba are to drag the Lagos State Government to court to challenge the alleged "abnormal" tax deductions from their salaries.
The doctors under the auspices of Association of Resident Doctors have already briefed a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, to process the court papers.
The development is coming as the national body of the striking doctors has linked the crisis in the hospital to the taxation on the doctors' allowances.
The doctors embarked on an indefinite strike on Monday.
An executive member of the ARD, LUTH chapter who craved anonymity said,"We have decided to challenge the decision of the state government in court. We have contracted a lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, who will get to the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin Osibogun by Thursday (today) on what our grouses are.
"It is only in LUTH they are doing it for now. Meanwhile, they are making efforts to start it in other places but people are resisting the tax policy.Why must teaching and hazard allowance which is about N5,000 be taxed?"
Meanwhile, the ARD National President Dr. Ismail Akinlade, has condemned the decision of the state government to tax doctors' call duty, teaching and hazard allowances.
He said the strike embarked upon by LUTH doctors would end only when the state government stopped the deductions.
He said," We are asking the Lagos State Government to stop deducting taxes from teaching, call duty and health hazard allowances. Also the tax arrears that were deducted from the doctors' salaries should be looked into and the payment extended over a period of one or two years."
Akinlade, however, said the Nigerian Medical Association would soon be meeting over what he called "abnormal" tax deductions and other issues to prevent a nationwide protest.
Also, Osibogun on Wednesday said the management had met with the Lagos State Inland Revenue Service to address the doctors' grievances.
Osibogun said,"I went to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service with some of the doctors so that we can get clarifications. The Joint Tax Board just published a clarification on the personal income tax law. I don't make laws."
