Chief Chekwas Okorie, leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, has commended the decision of the governors of 36 states to collaborate with the Federal Government to ensure the smooth passage of the tax reform bills.
The Nigerian Governors Forum, at the end of its meeting with the Presidential Committee on Tax Reform last week, agreed to provide support for the proposed legislation.
The governors, in a statement signed by the Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of the Forum, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, “endorsed a revised Value Added Tax (VAT) distribution formula to ensure equitable distribution of resources: 50% based on equality, 30% based on referral, and 20% based on population.”
Speaking with Tribune Online in a telephone interview, Okorie stated that the governor's new position compared to his initial hardline stance to thwart the proposed legislation was comforting.
While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he called his tenacity in his purpose, the APGA boss noted that those who spoke vehemently against the bills had not read their contents to consider their achievements.
He said: “It is a welcome relief to all well-meaning Nigerians that Nigerian governors, especially Northern governors, have finally achieved unanimity in accepting the wisdom and progressivism of the four tax reform bills. The heated debate, acrimony and controversy that erupted after the presidency submitted the bills to the National Assembly for legislative action was unfortunate and avoidable.
“It is true that ultraconservatives are embarrassed and most of the time suspicious of any form of change to the status quo, but the case of the executive bills on tax reforms exposed the intellectual laziness and lack of depth of those who vehemently opposed to the reforms without reading them. through the content and provisions of the bills.
“It is even more unfortunate that the Northern Governors forum rejected several attempts made by the Presidential Committee that proposed the bills to engage with them to break down the nitty-gritty of the bills to their understanding. Interestingly, after all the tantrums, only a minor recalibration of the VAT revenue sharing formula was needed to calm Nigeria's heated political atmosphere.
“I congratulate President Tinubu for the power of his conviction and his tenacity in getting Nigeria to scrap its outdated tax laws. I believe that when the tax bills become law and receive the assent of the President, a critical aspect of the long-awaited fiscal federalism in Nigeria will have been achieved.”
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