Politics
New Tax Reforms Will Benefit All Regions Equally – Tinubu
The Presidency has clarified that the proposed tax reforms, including changes to Nigeria’s Value-Added Tax (VAT) distribution model, are intended to benefit all regions equally.
This response follows opposition from the Northern Governors’ Forum, a coalition of governors from Nigeria’s 19 northern states, who expressed concern over aspects of the reform at a meeting held on October 28.
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Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, disclosed this in a statement released on Thursday.
Led by Governor Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, the governors, supported by traditional rulers like the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, cautioned that the proposed VAT model might disadvantage their states.
The statement reads, “While we commend the Governors and traditional rulers for supporting President Bola Tinubu over the success recorded in addressing the country’s security challenges, we consider it necessary to address the misunderstandings and misgivings around the tax reform already embarked upon by the administration.
“President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council recently endorsed new policy initiatives aimed at streamlining Nigeria’s tax administration processes, enhancing efficiency and eliminating redundancies across the nation’s tax operations.
“These reforms emerged after an extensive review of existing tax laws. The National Assembly is considering four executive bills designed to transform and modernise Nigeria’s tax landscape.
“First is the Nigeria Tax Bill, which aims to eliminate unintended multiple taxation and make Nigeria’s economy more competitive by simplifying tax obligations for businesses and individuals nationwide.
“Second, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill (NTAB) proposes new rules governing the administration of all taxes in the country. Its objective is to harmonise tax administrative processes across federal, state and local jurisdictions for ease of compliance for taxpayers in all parts of the country.
“Third, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill seeks to rename the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) to better reflect the mandate of the Service as the revenue agency for the entire federation, not just the Federal Government.
“Fourth, the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill proposes the creation of a Joint Revenue Board to replace the Joint Tax Board, covering federal and all states’ tax authorities.
“The fourth bill also suggests establishing the Office of Tax Ombudsman under the Joint Revenue Board, which would serve as a complaint resolution body for taxpayers.
“It is instructive to note that these proposed laws will not increase the number of taxes currently in operation. Instead, they are designed to optimise and simplify existing tax frameworks.
“The tax rates or percentages will remain the same under these reforms, as they focus on ensuring a more equitable distribution of tax obligations without adding to the burden on Nigerians.
“The reforms will not lead to job losses. On the contrary, they are structured to stimulate new avenues for job creation by supporting a dynamic, growth-oriented economy.
“Importantly, these laws will not absorb or eliminate the duties of any existing department, agency, or ministry. Instead, they aim to harmonise revenue collection and administration across the federation to ensure efficiency and cooperation.
“At the moment, tax administration lacks coordination among federal, state, and local tax authorities, often resulting in overlapping responsibilities, confusion, and inefficiency. Without reform, this inefficiency will persist.
“The proposed laws aim to coordinate efforts between different tiers of government, resulting in better tax resource management and greater clarity for taxpayers.
“Under existing laws, taxes like Company Income Tax (CIT), Personal Income Tax (PIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT), Tertiary Education Tax (TET), Value-Added Tax (VAT), and other taxing provisions in numerous laws are administered separately, with individual legislative frameworks.
“The proposed reforms seek to consolidate these multiple taxes, integrating CIT, PIT, CGT, VAT, PPT, and excise duties into a unified structure to reduce administrative fragmentation.
“On the proposed derivation-based VAT distribution model, which the Northern Governors oppose, it must be stressed that the new proposal, as enunciated in the Bill, is designed to create a fairer system.
“The current model for distributing VAT is based on where the tax is remitted rather than where goods and services are supplied or consumed.
“The ongoing tax reform seeks to correct the inherent inequity in the current derivation model as a basis for distributing VAT revenue.
“The new proposal before the National Assembly outlines a different form of derivation which considers the place of supply or consumption for relevant goods and services.
“This means that states in the Northern region that produce the food we eat should not lose out just because their products are VAT-exempt or consumed in other states.
“These reforms are critical to improving the lives of Nigerians and were not put forward by President Tinubu to undermine any part of the country.
“There is no better time than now for the National Assembly to give due consideration to these bills that will overhaul our tax systems and create the revenue all the tiers of government require to fund the development our country and people urgently need.” It added
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has said Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, cannot simultaneously support the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties.
Lawal made the statement while commenting on Wike’s involvement with the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform associated with efforts to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal said Wike needed to make his political position clear.
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“Our message is very very clear, be on one side, you can’t be on two sides. If you are in APC, please come out and support the APC, not you are supporting APC here and you are supporting some other political parties somewhere else,” Lawal said.
The Zamfara governor said APC governors would maintain their position on the matter despite Wike’s comments.
“We maintain our stand and the message is very clear. He can speak, he can say whatever he wants to say, but our position has been very clear, APC all the way from head to toe,” he said.
Asked whether the governors were effectively asking Wike to join the APC, Lawal replied, “exactly.”
Lawal also disclosed that he would discuss Wike’s political position with President Tinubu when the President returns from his working vacation in France.
“It’s something I will discuss with the President when he comes back. Let there be a clear line where this guy belongs to. It’s either he is in APC or he is out, simple. So I go with my brothers, the governors,” he said.
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has repeatedly expressed support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election while maintaining his association with the Rainbow Coalition.
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said he supports the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election while maintaining that he will not oppose President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s candidacy.
Otti made the statement during an interview on Arise TV on Friday while discussing the 2027 presidential election and his position on Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The governor said he had previously stated that he had a presidential candidate, but clarified that he was referring to the Labour Party candidate.
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Asked if he was supporting the candidate, Otti said, “Yes.”
However, when questioned about whether he was supporting Tinubu, the Abia governor said Tinubu had a right to contest the 2027 election.
“What do you expect me to say? To say I’m not supporting him?” Otti asked.
He added that he had already stated that Tinubu had the right to run and that nobody could stop him from contesting.
Otti also explained that he was not in a position to oppose Tinubu’s candidacy.
“I’m not going to oppose his candidacy, and it is not within my right, even as a human being to… so I can choose what I want to do,” he said.
According to him, opposing a candidate while being part of government could create internal conflict, stressing that disagreements over policies should be addressed within government meetings.
“When you say opposition and you are part of a government, then what you are driving towards is implosion. So if I do have a problem with anything, I’ll sit down in one of our meetings and I’ll make my point,” he said.
Otti further said some policies implemented by the Tinubu administration resonate with his thinking, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy.
“Quite frankly, there are a lot of things that we have talked about now that he has implemented that resonate with me and my thinking,” he said.
He maintained that the fuel subsidy was unsustainable, adding that any decision to reintroduce it would require adequate funding.
Otti also noted that, as a governor and member of the National Economic Council, he is part of discussions and decisions concerning policies implemented by the federal government.
Former Anambra State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has ruled out seeking the office of governor again, saying he would not return to the position even if Nigeria’s Constitution is amended.
Obi made the declaration in a statement on X on Friday while addressing the ongoing controversy over Anambra State’s debt, saying he had no disagreement with the state’s incumbent governor, Chukwuma Soludo, or any other governor in Nigeria.
“I am not seeking the office of governor in any state, and I will not seek that position again, even if the Constitution is amended,” Obi said.
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The former governor also dismissed suggestions of a personal dispute with Soludo, describing him as his “dear elder brother.”
“I wish to assure the public that I have no disagreement with my dear elder brother, Governor Soludo, or with any governor in Nigeria,” he said.
Obi’s declaration comes amid the ongoing public debate over financial obligations allegedly linked to his administration in Anambra State.
He said he had remained silent over the past few days because he was grieving the death of his “very dear elder brother and friend,” Chief Okey Ezeibe, but said he had decided to respond to issues that had occupied public discussion.
Beyond the Anambra controversy, Obi also called on governors across the country to allow political opponents to campaign freely in their states ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He urged governors to support whichever presidential candidates they preferred while also permitting other presidential candidates and contenders for other offices to campaign without interruption.
“Ultimately, voters should be allowed to determine whom they wish to serve them,” Obi said.
He further urged political actors and Nigerians to focus on the challenges confronting the country and the hardship being experienced by citizens rather than what he described as political distractions.
Obi is currently the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election.
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