TUC Demands 50% Tax Cut as Fuel Hits ₦2,000/Litre; Labor Boss Warns Workers Can No Longer Afford to Trek to Work

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has declared a “state of emergency” on the Nigerian worker’s wallet, demanding a radical 50% reduction in taxes to cushion the blow of the latest fuel price hike. Addressing a crowded press conference in Abuja on Monday evening, TUC President Festus Osifo warned that the recent jump in petrol prices to ₦2,000 per litre has pushed the nation’s workforce past its breaking point.

The Congress is calling for a two-pronged “Emergency Tax Relief” plan. First, they want an immediate 50% slash in income tax for all workers earning under ₦500,000, arguing that the government cannot continue to collect full taxes while citizens are unable to afford basic transportation to their offices. Second, the TUC is pushing for a similar 50% cut in Company Income Tax for manufacturers. According to Osifo, this is the only way to prevent a “tsunami” of factory closures and a subsequent explosion in the price of bread, milk, and other daily essentials.

“We are in the trenches of a survival war,” Osifo declared. “The ₦70,000 minimum wage we fought for is now just a transport allowance for one week. You cannot expect a man to pay full tax when he is choosing between buying a loaf of bread or taking a bus to work. If the government can waive taxes for billionaires and big oil, they must do it for the man on the street.”

The labor leader criticized the administration for allowing the pump price to spiral while excess revenue from high global crude prices currently sitting well above the 2026 budget benchmark is being shared among the three tiers of government. The TUC proposes that at least 60% of this “windfall” be immediately redirected to subsidize crude supply for domestic refineries, a move they claim would drop petrol prices below ₦1,000 within a fortnight.

The demand comes at a sensitive time for the Presidency, which is currently promoting a “scorecard of achievements” ahead of the 2027 political cycle. With domestic airlines already threatening a total shutdown this Thursday over aviation fuel costs, a nationwide industrial action by the TUC could paralyze the country’s already fragile recovery.

While the Federal Government is yet to issue a formal response, the “script” for the coming weeks seems clear: unless a middle ground is found on tax relief, the nation faces its most significant labor-government face-off since the 2024 wage negotiations.