Governor Alex Otti of Abia has clarified the nagging issues surrounding some deductions in the salaries of some civil servants in the state.
Otti made the clarification at the Government House, Umuahia, on Friday night during his monthly media interaction with newsmen.
He said that the government had conducted investigations in response to the complaints by some civil servants about deductions in their salaries.
Otti said that the investigation revealed that the migration from the use of 2018/2019 tax rate to the current tax rate in deducting the taxes from salaries was responsible for the difference.
“A lot of people who felt their salaries were being reduced, when we investigated those complaints, we found that what actually happened was that before now an old tax rate was being applied.
“The 2018/2019 tax rate was being applied and there was a 2021/2022 tax law, which of course, has come into effect.
“I find it difficult to accept that somebody is pinching salaries, then how do you even do it, because the money leaves the account of the state and hits the account of the beneficiary.
“So, at what point would somebody deduct the salaries, and if you deduct, where do you take it to?”
The governor also said that the government had investigated the complaint about salary disparity in some Local Government Areas of the state and “we found that it is not true”.
