The Labour and Civil Society Coalition has faulted the position of the European Union (EU) on the announcement of Expatriate Employment Levy (EEL) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on February 27.
Its national convener, Tony Erha, who spoke yesterday in Abuja, said that the EU’s concerns were ill-advised.
The EEL is a yearly government-mandated contribution of $15,000 for directors and $10,000 for other categories of expatriates imposed on organisations that engage foreigners.
Some of the objectives of the levy include the promotion of skills transfer and knowledge sharing, balanced economic growth and social welfare, enhanced collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as demographic shifts.
But, the EU expressed concerns that the policy, which though has been temporarily put on hold, might affect current and potential investors.
Erha stated that the Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, Massimo De Luca, who voiced the view during the fourth session of the steering committee of the support programme for Fiscal Transition in West Africa (PATF) in Abuja, failed to realise that the levy was a strategic measure to promote local job opportunities and address challenges relating to expatriate employment.
He held that the inconsistency in the EU’s stance, particularly regarding immigration laws, was clear.
