President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on social media, Dada Olusegun, has pointed out that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwanwaso, had similar plans for tax reform.
Olusegun revealed that the tax reform currently being pursued by Tinubu was actually part of Kwankwaso’s manifesto for the 2023 elections.
In a post on X, Olusegun stated: “Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso in his 2023 campaign manifesto vowed to do this exact tax reforms that he is today opposing vehemently. Let him or his people deny it. The manifesto is in the public domain for those who don’t believe.”
Despite this revelation, Kwankwaso has called on Tinubu to reconsider his stance on the Tax Reform Bills, arguing that now is not the right time for such proposals.
The four tax reform bills – the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill – are currently under consideration by the National Assembly. Critics have labeled the bills as being biased against the North and only benefiting certain states like Lagos and Rivers.
However, Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, refuted these claims, emphasizing that the bills are designed to “enhance the quality of life for Nigerians, especially the disadvantaged, who are trying to make a living.”