Tax reforms: Fiscal policy must not strengthen some states, punish others — Atiku

•wants transparent public hearing

 

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that as the National Assembly debates the tax reform bills, nothing must be done to promote uneven development among the federating units.

In a statement he issued on Sunday, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, warned that some states should not be duly enhanced while others are penalized.

Noting he had followed the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills with keen interest, he stated: “Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity.

“They are loud and clear that the fiscal system we seek to promote must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.”

Atiku called for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by our representatives in the National Assembly.

He added: “As a concerned stakeholder, I firmly believe that transparency and objectivity are essential for promoting accountability, good governance, and public trust in policy-making.

“The public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organizations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.

“In this wise, I call on the NASS to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council, a key stakeholder and an important organ of the state with the constitutional power to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation.

“The NASS must be appropriately guided and ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the Bills align with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians.”

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