Why governors want tax reform bills withdrawn – Gov Sule

Nasarawa State governor

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has cleared the air on where the governors stand regarding the proposed tax reform bill.

The bill, which has passed the second reading at the Senate, has sparked controversy and is facing vehement pushback from different quarters, especially from elites in Northern Nigeria.

Notable northern groups and figures like The Northern Governors Forum, the Northern Elders Forum, the National Economic Council, and Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, among others, have publicly voiced their opposition to the bill and demanded its withdraw.

According to them, the provisions of the bill do not reflect the region’s interests and would only worsen the poverty, underdevelopment and other socio-economic challenges the region is already grappling with.

Speaking on the contentious bills, Sule said it was wrong for people to say governors of the 36 states are against the bills.

He spoke when he featured on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Sule disclosed that the governors only wanted clarifications in some areas, insisting that there were questions that needed answers.

“The issue of increasing the VAT from 20 per cent to 60 per cent at the point of generation, and I am happy that Taiwo said it has now changed not just at the point of generation but also consumption, that is fine,” he said.

“Those were some of the issues mentioned by the governors. The governors said, ‘you know what, why don’t you withdraw the bills, let us discuss it, let us understand it’”, Governor Sule said.

According to him, if things were properly explained, there wouldn’t have been any call to withdraw the bills, which is the point the governors were making.

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