Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has defended the Federal Government’s proposed tax reforms, insisting that the new measures are designed to improve livelihoods and reduce the burden of multiple taxes on small businesses and low-income earners.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja at an interfaith breaking of fast for Ramadan and Lent held at the State House, Shettima said the reforms were carefully planned to address the concerns of ordinary Nigerians, contrary to claims by critics that the policies would worsen poverty.
The Vice President, who spoke on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the government remains committed to implementing policies that will lift citizens out of poverty without adding to their financial burdens.
“The same people who are shouting hoarse that the tax reform is meant to pulverise further and pauperise the poor are far from the truth, but we have to go out and tell the truth to the people,” he said. “We have to educate them. We have to mount the pulpits and take our government to the Nigerian people and tell them the truth.”
The interfaith gathering was attended by members of the Federal Executive Council, the governor of the Central Bank, special advisers, senior special assistants and heads of agencies and parastatals.
Shettima urged the officials to remain strong advocates of the administration’s economic reforms and to help explain the policies to Nigerians.
He said the government understands the challenges facing citizens and is deploying policy instruments to reduce poverty while strengthening the economy.
According to the Vice President, some early gains from the government’s economic reforms include increased foreign exchange reserves, the streamlining of exchange rates, and the removal of fuel subsidy, which he said had benefited only a few individuals for many years.
Shettima commended President Tinubu for taking difficult decisions that previous administrations had avoided, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy.
He explained that although the subsidy removal was not mentioned in the President’s 2023 inaugural speech, it became necessary after the administration discovered that the system was draining national resources that could have been used for development.
“Three years down the road, the economy has bounced back,’’ he added.
The Vice President also thanked members of the administration for their support and partnership in implementing the government’s policies.
“On behalf of the President, I want to thank you all for comradeship, support and partnership,’’ he stated.
He further urged government officials to be proactive in sharing accurate information about the administration’s achievements and to challenge what he described as misinformation being spread by opposition parties regarding the reforms.
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