speedyboi:
Maybe Government should also make our minimum wage 1,000,000 and impose crazy tax on us, Triple PHCN bills and make sure people pay them (not direct connection guys), triple water bills, impose insurance, medical cards, etc on us, imposing heavy payments for difference kinds of unlawful acts (road offenders, Noisemakers, indiscriminate killing of animals etc...) and so much more!

Ignorance kills....Until you try to live outside Nigeria, You won't know Nigerians are enjoying!

I just laugh when Nigerians claim they pay tax. Try to check out the crazy bills citizens of other countries pay, them you'll know wassup.

Enjoying? When the govt has virtually left everyone on his own. You can't have your cake and ear it. You're enjoying state of the art amenities and infrastructure in say, Amsterdam and you expect it to be free?
Do people there have to dig their boreholes to get water? Do they have to "mobilise" police officers with cash before they can effect arrest and press charges on someone that robbed them?
You think the taxes are for nothing?
Would you rather not pay tax but carry jerrycans of water on your head every morning to fetch water hundreds of meters away?
Ask any Nigerian living in any industrialised nation if he ever had to bribe an officer before his complains were looked into?
We're not paying much taxes, mainly cos an average Nigerian is a tax defaulter, but we're also enjoying zilch benefits of taxation. That's an anachronism in this 21st century.

ayobase: The state of California's minimum wage of $10 (N1,500) per hour to start by 2016. It seems it is about $8 (N1,200)at the moment.

A US citizen that works 10 hrs daily for 20 days gets approximately N300,000 ($2,000) per month!

Nigeria's is N18,500 ($123) per month. Meaning N92 ($0.6) per hour pay.


Why won't people wanna run go greener pasture.

#Im just saying ni o#


http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/12/bill-set-to-raisecaliforniaminimumwageto10.html

Ok here OP, your post is very biased and misrepresenting the truth. First off, why select CA, who has probably the highest minimum wage? In general, most states' minimum wage is around $7.50 per hour. Next, it is uncommon to work 10 hours per day and is total bs. A full time job is 8 hrs per day x 5 days per week = 40 hours per week. By law, anything over 40 hrs requires overtime pay and for that reason employers don't allow it. Now a days, most jobs hire part time, which means you get 20-25 hrs per week. Yup, deduct fees and taxes and there's nothing left to live on. Just to rent an apartment and pay basic expenses is close to impossible for minimum wage workers. Oh, like others said, CA min wage is not enough to live in a safe decent environment. Hope you don't believe what you wrote

People just keep shouting tax like its going to be 50% of ur salary. I don't know what their tax system looks like but even if its 50% of your salary (which I'm sure is not), it will not be charged on your pay directly. You will have allowances and reliefs. And if you earn too little you only pay minimum tax. If the taxes were as high as people claim, how are Nigerians living well over there? I have a friend in the UK who learnt photography when he got there. He now has his own studio and he is also funding his education.

mayten30: should we open a thread on nairaland and let people living in america to come and say if they up to 5000 dollars monthly?you will be surprised that only very few earn up to 5k dollars,stop deceiving urself,if you are doing a normal good job you can between 3200 dollars to 4500 dollars per month and which is about 50000 dollars per annum,but if you are into drug business I bet you you can even earn ten million dollars within a year

U don't need to open anything on NL. Numbers don't lie. Compare a gateman in Naija vs A gateman in US, lawyer vs lawyer, engineer vs engineer, banker vs banker, unemployed vs unemployed. Stop living in Denial! Venezuela's minimum wage is N63k/mnth, Sauidi $800, Iran about 50k. This sheer ignorance/denial is the reason why politicians ra-pe the country financially.

ceejayluv:
Enjoying? When the govt has virtually left everyone on his own. You can't have your cake and ear it. You're enjoying state of the art amenities and infrastructure in say, Amsterdam and you expect it to be free?
Do people there have to dig their boreholes to get water? Do they have to "mobilise" police officers with cash before they can effect arrest and press charges on someone that robbed them?
You think the taxes are for nothing?
Would you rather not pay tax but carry jerrycans of water on your head every morning to fetch water hundreds of meters away?
Ask any Nigerian living in any industrialised nation if he ever had to bribe an officer before his complains were looked into?
We're not paying much taxes, mainly cos an average Nigerian is a tax defaulter, but we're also enjoying zilch benefits of taxation. That's an anachronism in this 21st century.

Exactly my point! That's what most Nigerians don't understand.

Just because we are able to evade taxes in Nigeria doesn't mean taxes are not high here. Thank God for the Personal Income Tax Amendment signed by GEJ. Beyond this, do you know how much Nigerians spend on providing the amenities which the govt fails to provide? And this is after paying for these service without enjoying them. Where I live, the community contributes to grade the roads because you won't get any response if you write to the local govt. The source of water is borehole, well, and rain? (though we don't pay for water seperately). We contribute #1500 monthly for security (this does not include some extra payments we make when we want to buy guns and bullets for the security men). I don't have to tell you how much we spend on electricity generation. We spent over #1m to connect a 'new' transformer given to us by the state govt. I don't think people in the US have do all this. If you check it, the tax won't be much different from what we 'pay' in Nigeria

ayobase: The state of California's minimum wage of $10 (N1,500) per hour to start by 2016. It seems it is about $8 (N1,200)at the moment.

A US citizen that works 10 hrs daily for 20 days gets approximately N300,000 ($2,000) per month!

Nigeria's is N18,500 ($123) per month. Meaning N92 ($0.6) per hour pay.


Why won't people wanna run go greener pasture.

#Im just saying ni o#


http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/12/bill-set-to-raisecaliforniaminimumwageto10.html

Who's this comparing 2 unequal situations? Different living expenses, different channels money goes. Even going beyond the 40 hrs per week.

You're just seeking attention and you've got it on the frontpage.

life is not about ur salary 'but how u can utilize it to get max satisfaction .many persons earned much but nothing to write home about ...
I'm gonna make my money in naija. Based on "Oluwa will not leave boy stranded" ..no be my fault , him don talk am.

by the time electricity becomes stable in Nigeria, the general cost of living would fall and you would not believe that it is the same nigeria we used to know.

manny4life:

It's easy to state they earn $10/hr but you did not include taxes (SS, State, Federal, and Medicare), the cost of living vs Nigeria are way different. Nigeria has her own problems and while Nigerian wage is low (peanut), Nigeria does have it good to a certain degree. Please don't envy $10/hr, it's NOTHING.

I agree with you but that still doesn't remove the fact that our minimum wage is paltry and needs to be increased.

Home is home. Even if I'm given the opportunity to travel abroad and eventually become successful, nothing will hold me from coming back to Africa!!

Life is all about choice-if u choose CA fine and if u choose Nigeria also fine.to me d argurment is neither here nor there!

hunter2,1:
by the time electricity becomes stable in Nigeria, the general cost of living would fall and you would not believe that it is the same nigeria we used to know.

when will electricity become stable? 2020?

Dannylux: Home is home. Even if I'm given the opportunity to travel abroad and eventually become successful, nothing will hold me from coming back to Africa!!

Until you go there, don't conclude.

@ manny, good AM
SocS they are taking away from your paycheck is for your future.
The state and federal tax is put into good use (things/amenities we all enjoy are not free even the air in USA is not free, yet we prefer that to polluted air.
Medicare is also put into good use.
If only soc, fed, state and Medicare are taking away from the peanutty naija salary then life would have been a witty bit better in nig for the common man.

manny4life:

It's easy to state they earn $10/hr but you did not include taxes (SS, State, Federal, and Medicare), the cost of living vs Nigeria are way different. Nigeria has her own problems and while Nigerian wage is low (peanut), Nigeria does have it good to a certain degree. Please don't envy $10/hr, it's NOTHING.

3ace: I agree with you but that still doesn't remove the fact that our minimum wage is paltry and needs to be increased.

Our minimum wage is subhuman...

pastor4real: @emmatok: You are wrong again. Most foreigners and citizens live by the minimum wage here, most of these foreigners have degree from there home countries but it is very difficult to get into the system here with your foreign education unless you are a doctor, pharmacist, nurse etc. With your degree you will end up with the minimum wage jobs. Ask our people with degree from Nigeria where they work. Most Nigerians with degree from Nigeria work in Parking lots, walmart store making $7.25, $8 or $9 an hour plus tips if you come across a good customer.

This place is good if you are young and you are coming here to school. Also make sure you study something that will be marketable, something like doctor, pharmacist, nurse, engineer.

Well in Nigeria degree holders also work has gateman,cleaners,dispatch riders and collect minimum wage.

The fact is that a minimum wage earnings in US is better than Nigeria minimum wage earnings.

Goods and services are cheaper in the US.
With less than $1000 you will look good,fed well and get some essential electronics.

Can you try that with 20000 per month in Nigeria.

No place like home.

If you think the land is greener on the other side,wait untill you get there and see for yourself.

Arsenate: If you are honest with yourself, you would know that one can live on 500naira (about 3 dollars) per day (15000 naira per month) in almost all Nigerian towns. I strongly doubt if one can survive with 3 dollars per day in the most American cities.
Not that I'm saying we can't do better but your thread reeks of insincerity.

Even if you eat mama put everyday it won't reach you anywhere, remember you need fuel for your generator, you need to take cab/danfo somewhere, you need recharge card and many other stuff, abi woman wey dey buy pads or a guy wey wan barb him hair. #500 no reach anywhere bro.

9jadelta: house a month in America costs about 1000 dollars a month
in Nigeria u will live in a good flat for 10000 a month

you see the difference
this is the kind of thing that makes people want to leave naija thinking its paradise in USA without planning what exactly they want to go and do or how they will live when they get there

I don't know about places like onitsha with high rise middle class flats, but I dont see 120k getting you a flat in good places like ph, lagos abeg no near abuja with that ridiculous budget.

you should be talking of bed space or self con with such low budget. flat with 120k? is it in a village?

Minimum wage in Nigeria = N18,000.


While a entry level 8 BSc Holder in the civil service (Civil Defence for instance) = N115,000.


Considering the factors that surrounds taxation in the country... I see no reason for complaints.

It is good over there but the govt tax and other expenses eats deep into ones pocket,it is better nt just living solely on minimum wage there are other legit opportunities one can make meaningful income too,in nigeria we dnt pay taxes period.wht we get is wht we spend and save,yes the minimum wage is small but we need a structured and less corrupt system before we talk abt increasing it,bcuz if u increase it, everything will increase slightly and it will look small again to us

the life over there is far far better. U cannot compare both. A cleaner in USA will earn $10 an hour, use the best facilities, good house, good car, good school. Oya now compare to Naija cleaner, No car, no good school, no good food. Let me stay in USA without savings as along as i can eat, make something meanifull and stay in a good house. A worker has no plan for future until he steal or hammer money in naija.

am all for being patriotic and all that,

but if u r here trying to persuade pple that life is easier on nigeria minimum wage than california's, u r
deceiving urself.

for those of us that has tasted both side (naija vs west) we are the one that can do the comparism
and i say naija its a HORRIBLE PLACE for the way it treats the poor.

mayten30: can you see how dumb u can be?an average amount u pay for a rent of 3 bedroom flat here in nigeria is around 400k or 500k per year,to get that same kind of house at usa you will spend at least 800 dollars per month depending on the state,800 dollars which is more than 120000 naira monthly,and about 9600 dollars in a year which is about 1.5 million naira,you never calclulate the taxes u go pay ooo,and also some other expenses,na people like u go dey complain say ur family member wey dey usa dey very stingy not knowing and understanding how things work over-there,because you here 8 dollars per hour u just quickly start to dey convert am enter naira and start to dey happy.lol.na the value of the naira make u feel say the money too much,imagine if 1 dollars equals just 10 naira that means 8 dollars per hour for 10 hours will be 800 naira in a day and about 24000 naira per month,

500k for 3 bedroom flat where?

Just a thought, What is the life expectancy of a Nigerian to that of an American both on minimum wage?

omajali2003: Since the pay in US is higher and the cost of living in Nigeria is better, is possible to work in US and live in Nigeria? Maybe travel to US in the morning and come back to Nigeria at night.

Maybe disappear n appear

larger_20:

I live in California and trust me when i say you don't want to live for 10/hr here.......California is just too expensive.....to live in a comfortable apartment here, you need to pay about 1200/month and that does not include heat/gas/electricity. California car insurance and fuel is one of the highest in the country. It cost about $4.2 per gallon to fill up your gas tank here, now compare that with Nigeria...

California rich vs poor income gap is too wide but mostly because majority of the poor Californians has defaulted to government support..

Come back to naija nah, why complaining?

Minimum wage in both places have similar effect.
In naija, you can't afford much. You can't afford anything in California with $10/hr. full time gives you about $1600 (based on 4 weeks of 40hrs a week). That's also assuming you do get full time hours.

Deductions from your pay can be btw$ 400-$700 a month leaving you with net $900 - $1200.
By the time you pay rent which is typically above $1000 a month, you have nothing left. This does not include utilities and we assume you have to forgo cable tv and Internet.

We are yet to talk about health insurance (too expensive), transportation (100-200 a month). Feeding ($200 a month for basic groceries and home cooked meals). No room for luxury items yet as its almost impossible to afford anything at this point.
Phone bills $50-$100 a month.

At this point(payday), you are already looking for your next bill to help pay for the things not covered yet. And hopefully you don't have any dependants on that pay.