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As the debate over the tax reform bills before the National Assembly continues, the governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule has expressed worry, stating that the discourse has been unproductive and uninteresting because many on the table of discussion lack a fundamental understanding of Value Added Tax and its mechanisms
The Governor made this known on Monday while speaking during an interview with Arise Television.
Governor Sule acknowledged the initial reservations expressed by some northern governors, including himself, regarding aspects of the tax bills.
He noted that many concerns have even been alleviated courtesy of intervention of clarity from President Bola Tinubu and the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform, Taiwo Oyedele
“The unfortunate part of this debate is that it has been taken over by people with zero knowledge about VAT or the bills themselves,” Sule remarked. “Some are doing it to save their jobs, others for political gain, and some for reasons unrelated to the real issues at hand. This has made the discourse unproductive and uninteresting.”
Sule noted that one of the contentious points in the bills was the perception that VAT would only be administered at the point of revenue generation. According to him, this misunderstanding led to widespread opposition. However, recent engagements with Oyedele’s committee and other stakeholders have clarified that VAT sharing will involve both the points of revenue generation and consumption.
“We were initially told that 60% of VAT revenue would be allocated solely at the point of generation,” Sule explained. “But Mr. Oyedele later clarified that the 60% would be shared between the point of generation and the point of consumption. This adjustment”
The Chairman of the North Central Governors Forum, further said that the initial request for the withdrawal of the bills may no longer be necessary as President Tinubu and Oyedele have assured that the bills can be amended to reflect stakeholders’ concerns.
“What we wanted was for the contentious areas to be discussed and addressed, and that is already happening,” Sule said. “The bills don’t necessarily need to be withdrawn if amendments can incorporate our suggestions. This approach ensures progress without disrupting the legislative process.”
Otache Imanche
Otache Imanche is a budding journalist and a passionate reporter covering Nasarawa state for Themiddlebelt reporters.
Thu Jan 9 , 2025
In a recent interview on Channels TV's Politics Today program, Governor Sule set the record straight, stating that El-Rufai remains a member of the APC
