A member of the House of Representatives, Ghali Mustapha Tijjani representing the Albasu/Gaya/Ajingi constituency of Kano State has described the four reform bills before the National Assembly as “Anti-people” and must be rejected.
Tijjani, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen at the National Assembly on Monday said the bills are not in public interest and should be withdrawn for proper consultations and inputs from all stakeholders.
“I have a background in finance, as a student of International Corporate Finance, so I have an idea of what all this is all about. The bills actually are not in tandem with public interest and it’s not pro-masses.
“This is a capitalist bill and for such a reason, I, Dr. Ghali Mustafa Tijjani, am rejecting this bill as a member that represents the people. I’m in the Parliament to ensure that my people are well represented and Nigerians have all the benefits and dividends of democracy. Therefore, these tax reform bills are capitalistic in nature and are siphoning the poor, so to say”, he stated.
On the content of the bills, the lawmaker said “I read the bills. I went through the bills. The four bills, to me, this is the wrong time and ill time to bring them. For a simple reason, the policies of the current government have not helped the Nigerian poor.
“Similarly, there are two major areas of concern, the derivation as well as the increase in the VAT system. You see if you take the VAT, section 146 talks about the increase in the VAT from 7.5% to 10% to 12% and to 15% by 2030. And nobody will tell you that this will not be transferred to the final consumer.
“No matter what, yes, you have talked of exemption, exemption for some certain cadre or scale or income, but the final consumer or the companies will transfer the VAT or the tax to the final consumer.
“Therefore, you don’t have such a system in place that you can say Nigerians could not or the poor cannot be taxed, in place.
“It’s very difficult for you to bring, saying that I’m going to buy something in the market and such things will not be reflected. But we are aware it has gone through the first reading and this is the second reading and we understand it is an Executive Bill”.
The lawmaker, a member of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) carpeted the crafters of the bills, saying “You see, this is a lazy way of thinking. Nigeria has a lot of opportunities to get revenue and Nigeria is not looking in that direction. Let me give you typical examples. Our mineral resources sector has not been tapped adequately.
If Nigeria is looking for revenue, it should invest in mineral resources, and mining, and make the necessary investments. The resources definitely will come to the country.
“Similarly, currently, Nigeria is losing a lot of money in terms of revenue, in terms of tax evasion and transfer pricing manipulation. The Nigerian government or the current government should think of blocking such leakages rather than taxing more people in the country or taxing the companies that are willing to invest and employ more labour. Therefore, I think for such reasons, it’s anti-masses”.
He explained that “The people that crafted this bill, they failed to understand the economic constructors of the entire Nigeria. They did this bill or they crafted it based on their own background and understanding. Therefore, this should not reflect the view of the Nigerian economy.
Speaking on the position of the Northern Governors Forum regarding the bill, Tijani, “The Northern Governors Forum is a body that has a vital role in this discussion because they are the ones that represent the governance system of the 19 states in the Northern region. I believe they have a fair view of understanding this. If this is something positive for their own state, definitely they will accept it.
“But for them to come out to reject this, this is an indication that this bill is not in the interest of their own people and their own state. Therefore, I align my own position with them”, he stated.
The lawmaker said “It is unfortunate that the Executives or the Presidency don’t like to listen to such a very important group and they went ahead to also push it to the National Assembly.
“Yes, we understand the National Assembly has a vital role to play in these bills, but you cannot neglect the Nigerian Governors Forum as well as the National Economic Council of the state.
“Yes, the Northern Governors Forum has a position and I believe they have a fair understanding of the economy of Northern Nigeria, where they came from, and they are the ones that represent the interest and the governance of their own region and their own state.
“Therefore, their position, I believe, is based on knowledge and based on understanding. I believe they have taken a right step in the right direction and I support their own position to completely reject this bill because it’s not the right time to bring this kind of bill”.
