Tax reform bills not anti-North, says Awodun

Member of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Prof. Muritala Awodun, has said tax reform bills introduced by the Federal Government are not anti-north.

He stated that the reforms were well thought-out strategies to increase revenue generation by federating states and accelerate socio-economic development.

A statement, yesterday, quoted him as saying that the bills would stimulate the economy.

He said: “If nobody sees the present arrangement as anti-south, it is then playing politics to see the proposed reforms as anti-north. In Nigeria, we play politics with everything, particularly once it is affecting our interests; we make it look as if we are fighting for the people, when, in the real sense, we are fighting for our pockets and interests. We exploit the poor masses always to our own advantage.

“These bills, I will term anti-laziness, anti-inefficiencies, anti-incompetences, anti-indolence and anti-poverty rather than anti-north or south.”

Awodun, who is also Consultant, Fiftyfifty Institute Limited, pointed out that some politicians and traditional rulers from the northern part of the country were opposed to some sections of the bill because of the proposed change in the allocation formula from 15:50:35 and 50:30:20 to 10:55:35 and 20:20:60.

According to him, the present arrangement favours equality and population against derivation, and favours derivation against population and equality.

He explained that the bills were made up of four different bills namely; the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill and the Nigeria Tax Bill.

According to him, these four bills are what is being referred to by Nigerians as Nigeria Tax Reform Bills that are currently before the National Assembly.