Vice President Kashim Shettima has opined why his principal, is taxing Nigerians more despite the high cost of living in the country.
Since he took over power late last year May, President Bola Tinubu has implemented policies that have skyrocketed the cost of living.
Few minutes after taking his oath of office, he announced the scrapping of fuel subsidy payment by the government, making no provisions to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians.
Months later, he floated the currency further weakening the Naira, increased electricity tariffs and Value Added Tax (VAT), introduced the controversial cybersecurity levy and has perfected plans for the reintroduction of telecom tax.
Speaking at the close-out retreat of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on Saturday, Mr Shettima denied that the Bola Tinubu’s administration was hell-bent on frustrating Nigerians by heaping more taxes on them.
Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of The Vice President), Aliyu Moddibo Umar, he said the tax reforms are to “create an administrative system that ensures the benefits of a thriving tax system for all our citizens.”
“Our aim remains the revitalisation of revenue generation in Nigeria while sustaining an investment-friendly and globally competitive business environment,” a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, partly reads.
“We are gathered today because we are transitioning from the phase of proposal in the operations of this committee’s work to the phase of implementation.
“I am confident that both the federal and state governments stand ready to ensure the effective implementation of your reform proposals, and we shall provide the institutional framework to guarantee the adoption of the consensuses of this committee, aligning them with our economic agenda,” he added.
