Afenifere calls for understanding over Tinubu tax bills

A Yoruba group Afenifere on Thursday said the tax reform bills proposed by the Federal Government would benefit the country.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi, Afenifere stated that no region in the country should entertain any fear regarding the distribution of the proceed of the Value Added Tax (VAT) – as proposed.

President Ahmed Bola Tinubu-led government recently submitted four bills to the National Assembly for passage into law.

According to the government, the bills were “aimed at streamlining Nigerian Tax Administrative processes; enhancing efficiency and eliminating redundancies across the national Tax operations”.

The Bills are 1. Nigeria Tax Bill 2. Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 3. Nigeria Revenue Service {Establishment} Bill seeking to rename the Federal Inland Revenue Service {FIRS} as the Nigeria Revenue Service. and 4. Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill.

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Afenifere said it thinks that using or including ‘derivation’ as a factor of distribution would not deprive the Northern States or any other state of what is due to them.

The body was emphatic that the new arrangement would encourage states to generate income locally and contribute more to the national.

Ajayi submitted that the position of Northern Governors and the Traditional Rulers in that zone “further underscores the imperativeness of restructuring the country urgently so that each constituent part, zone or region, etc, would be in a position to exploit and largely control the resources within its enclave.”

He added that such an arrangement would not only encourage healthy competition, it would also motivate states and individuals.

He asserted that rather than look at assumed areas that the VAT Amendment Bill would be a disadvantage, stakeholders should look at the positive aspects of the proposed Act and suggestions made on areas needing improvement.

The Afenifere spokesman expressed the hope that the VAT bill when it becomes operational, will fulfill Tinubu’s vow on his administration’s commitment to easing pains of Nigerians and putting the country’s economy on a firm footing.