Dons Eze
YOU DON’T OVERTAX PEOPLE AND EXPECT IT’S THE WAY TO DRIVE GROWTH – NASARAWA GOVERNOR ABDULLAHI SULE
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has dismissed claims that Northern Nigeria opposes President Bola Tinubu’s administration due to the region’s stance on the proposed Tax Reform Bill.
This comes after the Northern Governors’ Forum, during a meeting with traditional rulers and stakeholders, voiced opposition to the bill, sparking speculations about the North’s support for the president.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Governor Sule addressed the rumours, affirming the North’s continued support for Tinubu. “We cannot bring President Tinubu as a president – and the North came in heavily in making sure President Tinubu became the president – and then turn around and be against him,” he stated.
Sule clarified that the North’s opposition to the proposed tax reform stems from a desire for fairness, particularly in the distribution of Value Added Tax (VAT), which he argued would disadvantage Northern states under the current bill.
“The states that have almost no VAT at the moment will end up actually with the shorter area of the state,” he explained. “And you know, the 19 states of the North are generating very little when it comes to VAT at the moment.”
The governor emphasized that the North’s position is not against the president but rather seeks equitable treatment.
“What we said clearly is that we want fairness in the distribution of the VAT,” he noted. “We believe if we go the way it is, it is going to be unfair. I told you that it is going to be unfair to even some other states in the South.”
Sule also questioned the tax’s potential for driving economic growth, advocating instead for policies that support manufacturing and production.
“How do you drive the economy through VAT? You drive a grand economy through manufacturing, and production, not through VAT,” he argued. “You don’t overtax people and expect that this is the way to drive growth.
