Amid resistance from different quarters across the country against the President Tinubu-led government’s tax reform agenda, Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday said most of the resistance was caused by ignorance of the reform.
Appearing on TVC News on Monday morning, the governor explained that many Nigerians, including the governors, have studied the tax reform document and discovered that it will be mutually beneficial to everyone in the country.
While responding to allegations made by the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms regarding the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), the governor refuted claims made by the committee’s chairman, Taiwo Oyedele, that governors failed to meet with the committee on the proposed Tax Reform Bill.
Sanwo-Olu clarified that while governors initially were unaware of the Tax Reform Bill, they now fully understand its provisions.
He stated that the accusation of governors avoiding meetings with the committee was inaccurate.
Oyedele had defended the committee while speaking on Arise Television, alleging that the governors had cancelled four scheduled meetings with the panel.
His remarks came in response to criticism that the committee had not adequately consulted with state leaders regarding the tax reforms.
Sanwo-Olu, when being asked by the interviewer on the point of view of NGF on tax reform based on allegations levelled against it by the panel’s chairman, said:” That is not a situation of thing, rightly so, we are not fully aware of the extent of the reform, but in last couple of months everybody has schooled themselves, everybody has taken time to understand, to digest, to get expert advice on it and I want to tell you now that a lot of governors are now convinced, people have been educated, we have seen that it is an opportunity for us to have a lot of revenue and be able to track and trap where defaulters are and bring everybody on board.
‘’You will see an increase in revenue across the three tiers of government, and there will be a fairer distribution of it … Initially, it was hard on all of us, but now we have digested and understood it, I believe a significant number of us have bought into it. And at the end of the day, it will be a win for everybody “.
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