Medical directors sue AMAC over multiple taxation

The Guild of Medical Directors (GMD) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter has sued the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) at an FCT High Court over  multiple taxation. The group is seeking a judicial  review of taxes and levies paid to AMAC to alleviate the sufferings of its members from the taxation. Counsel to the plaintiff, […]

The Guild of Medical Directors (GMD) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter has sued the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) at an FCT High Court over  multiple taxation.

The group is seeking a judicial  review of taxes and levies paid to AMAC to alleviate the sufferings of its members from the taxation.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Akinwale Aderele, in an application brought before Justice Charles Angbaza of Jabi Court said the application would also help determine whether the demands and the summons served medical directors and private hospitals by AMAC were in line with the law.

He explained that there had been cases where members of the guild were asked to pay radio and television fees, environmental fees, trade and operating licence fees among others.

The counsel said some hospitals were sometimes charged between N500,000 and N1 million as taxes, stressing that it was affecting the capacity of medical doctors to deliver quality services in the FCT.

 Meanwhile, Dr Chito Nwana, Chairman Guild of Medical Directors FCT Branch, in a statement yesterday said over the years there has been multiple forms of fees and taxes. 

“Different agencies of government within the FCT have descended on private hospitals in the FCT with duplicitous multitude of crippling taxes,” he added.

Dr Nwana said taxes such as advertisement rates, private hospital monitoring fees, environmental inspection, radio and television charge and a host of others were killing many hospitals and must be reviewed urgently.