The Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, yesterday, promised that Nigerians would not be unduly burdened by the proposed tax reforms of President Bola Tinubu.

A member of the panel, Wale Akinterinwa, said the committee was determined to formulate friendly policies in the overall interest of the masses.

The Chairman of Forum of Finance Commissioners, at a media forum organised by the Ondo State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Akure, pledged that the proposed tax reforms would not suffocate the citizenry.

Akinterinwa, who doubles as commissioner for finance in the state, expressed the committee’s determination to develop policies that strike a balance between generating revenue for the government and ensuring the welfare of the Nigerian people.

He said:  “As a member of the Tinubu tax committee, I am sure by the time the committee is done with their plans, you will see that we have come up with policies that would favour the masses.

“We would ensure tax payment. The developed nations are developed because they pay their tax when due. We have followed suit in Ondo State in the enforcement of tax payment. We don’t have to suffocate the poor with it, as Tinubu had said, ‘let the poor breathe’.”

The commissioner pointed out  that the phenomenal growth in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state was attributable  to implementation of a series of strategic initiatives.

With the IGR skyrocketing from N500 million to N3 billion on a monthly basis, Akinterinwa said the tactics deployed to attain the feat include implementation of innovative tax policies, effective revenue collection systems and efficient management of resources.

According to him, the substantial boost in IGR has had a significant impact on the state’s economic development and its ability to fund various ongoing developmental projects.

He maintained that after Lagos, no state in the country has been able to achieve the feat.