Those Against Tax Reform Bills Are Enemies Of Nigeria — Okupe

An erstwhile presidential spokesman, Doyin Okupe says opponents of the proposed tax reform bills are enemies of the country.

According to him, the bills are pro-poor and pro-development.

Okupe, who stated this in Lagos on Thursday, said that no right thinking person would stand against the reforms meant to protect the poor and tackle corruption.

“Any right-thinking human being who has had the opportunity in these last two months or so to listen and to read what the tax reforms are all about and goes against it, is an enemy of the country.

“We are saying that majority of poor people should not pay tax, how can anybody be against that?

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“These reform bills are saying that companies that are not making money cannot be taxed arbitrarily. Their taxation will be based on revenue that they have generated and profit that made, not on turnover.

“And if your turnover is below 50 million, you are exempted, should anyone oppose this? If these tax bills can be passed, they will also help reduce corruption,” Okupe said.

Speaking on the North’s opposition to the bills, which are before the National Assembly, Okupe said that the North had no justifiable reason to oppose the reforms.

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According to him, Nigeria’s democracy had been based on oil and not on taxation, which he said, was not sustainable, hence the need for a reform.

The former Director- General of Mr Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation said that the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, had achieved a lot in the revenue generation in the last one year.

He faulted the concerns raised about the the timing and the speed of the bills, adding that whatever is causing economic and financial hemorrhage must be given the speed it requires.

He said that the tax reform bills would make more states’ internally generated revenue to improve, improving the lots of the people.

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Okupe, however, called on the President to monitor all revenue- generated agencies to remove corruption and all practices capable of shortchanging the nation.

The former presidential spokesman said that with adequate technology in place, the fight against corruption would be won and Nigerians would be free.

Okupe said that if Customs, Immigration, Nigerian Communications Technology, Nigerian Port Authority, NPA, NIMASA and other revenue-generating agencies employ emerging technologies, corruption would be fought to a standstill.

It would be recalled that on October 3, Tinubu had requested the National Assembly to consider and pass the bills.

The bills comprise the Nigeria tax bill, Nigeria tax administration bill, Nigeria Revenue Service establishment bill, and the Joint Revenue Board establishment bill.

Speaking at the presidential media chat on Monday, Tinubu reiterated that the tax reforms were initiated to eliminate colonial-based assumptions in the country’s tax environment.