…Urges further stakeholders’ consultation
The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum, a collective of media professionals from Northern Nigeria, has expressed strong reservations over the proposed Value-Added Tax (VAT) bill currently before the National Assembly.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Abdullahi Yelwa (Ajiyan Yauri), has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubus administration to withdraw the Bill for further consultations, citing concerns over its potential impact on the Northern region and the countrys economic balance.
The Forum highlighted that while some aspects of the Bill, if implemented judiciously, may generate much-needed resources for national development, the resort to ethnic and regional sentiments by some supporters of the Bill is unacceptable. We take exception to the resort to ethnic and regional sentiments by some of the supporters of the bill, who mischievously adduced ulterior motives to the legitimate concerns of the Northern Governors Forum and National Economic Council, the statement read.
The Forum emphasised that the North, like any part of the country, has the right to comment on any public policy, especially those it considers injurious to its survival. The conceivers of the bill have shown total disregard for the concerns of a large majority of Nigerians, especially the North that is economically disadvantaged”, it stated.
One of the key concerns raised by the forum is the provision in the Bill that imposes tax on inheritance funds, which they argue is contrary to religious doctrine and cultural norms. Additionally, the forum criticized the lopsided distribution of VAT revenue to states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as proposed in the Bill, calling it unjust and likely to exacerbate economic disparities between the North and other regions of the country.
The Forum also noted the fire brigade approach by the Tax Reform Committee to engage key stakeholders after the fact, which they believe has not erased the suspicion and distrust the Bill has generated. In light of these concerns, we advise the of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to honourably withdraw the VAT Bill for further consultations with stakeholders, the statement urged.
The Forum expressed its belief that withdrawing the Bill for further consultations will promote national unity and cohesion and ensure that the VAT regime is fair, equitable, and beneficial to all Nigerians. This approach will not only promote national unity and cohesion, but also ensure that the VAT regime is fair, equitable, and beneficial to all Nigerians, it stated.
