By Peter Uzoma.
The spate of troubles for Imo State Pensioners appears not to be abetting as they have continued to roll from one trouble to the other.
This time, apart from the yet to be concluded verification exercises since thousands are yet to be paid, the Pensioners are currently being subjected to another round of form filling to ease the deduction of taxes from their pension stipend.
When this reporter visited the premises of the Imo State Internal Revenue Service, Okigwe road, Pensioners were seen clutching and filling forms with the caption IMSSBN ENROLLMENT FORM (INDIVIDUAL).
In a chat with a worried and confused Pensioner who pleaded anonymity, he said the form filling is for those Pensioners who were yet to start receiving their pension stipends.
According to the man who said he had been verified severally right from (as he put it) “Ihedioha’s time till Hope now”, sounded optimistic that the filling of the form will put food on his table.
But his hope was suddenly dashed when a staff of the tax office (names with held) explained to his chagrin that the exercise was for easy of deduction of tax from their stipends. He then wondered how they could deduct his own since he had not been paid since a year plus.
The said FORM, currently being filled contains columns where the person will fill in the details of all his children as well as spouse’s details.
The form also has columns for BVN, phone numbers, email and marital status amongst other details.
It would be recalled that thousands of Pensioners who have been verified severally in the state are yet to start receiving anything.
