The Save Lagos Group (SLG) has disclosed that the present administration of Governor Akinwumi Ambode does not deserve to collect taxes from indigenes of the state because the Governor has failed to adhere strictly to the provision of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) that stipulated the condition for the collection of taxes from the citizens.

The group also stated that the Ambode administration has failed to justify the huge amount of funds accruing to the state through taxes, Federation Account and other sources of revenue, saying that the state government had failed in the area of security.

It also stated that funds earmarked through Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) were not justified given the state of insecurity in the state.

In a statement issued and signed by the Convener of the group, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, on Tuesday, he maintained that it was a constitutional provision for the government to collect tax from the citizens in accordance with the section 24(f) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

He supported his argument with the Constitutional provisions of sections 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 33, 34 and fourth schedule of the amended 1999 Constitution, where it enumerated the responsibilities of the state and local government areas to the citizenry in their areas, adding that until the State government under Ambode’s watch met these provisions of the Constitution that citizens would be compelled to perform their obligation of payment of taxes.

He also alleged that the state government was ignorant of law and has been working contrary to the seventh schedule of the Constitution, Oath of allegiance/office of the Governor of a state, which says that government should be for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in “the state on the principles of Freedom, Equality and Justice and for the purpose of Consolidating the Unity of our people.”

According to him, “Lagos State in recent time has been facing challenges of insecurity where kidnapping, vandalism, infrastructural decadence and a host of others are the order of the day, upon all the tax payers’ money being claimed to be spent on security.”

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