Zulum
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Babagana Umara Zulum, Governor of Borno State, has lashed out against President Bola Tinubu for allegedly attempting to destroy the northern region of the country with the new Tax Reform Bill.
Though the bill scaled the second reading on Thursday, it has come under severe attack by northern governors and elders who want it withdrawn.
A major component of the bill is to prioritise the location of consumption as the basis for sharing Value Added Tax, VAT, among states.
This has not gone down well with the North where several states ban consumption of alcoholic beverages regularly confiscate and destroy several bottles of beer.
Stakeholders have argued that states that ban alcohol drinks should also not be entitled to share from taxes and VAT paid by companies producing them.
However, speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa service, Governor Zulum
wondered why the bill was hurriedly passed unlike other bills, which have been before the senate without receiving urgent attention.
“We condemn these bills transmitted to the National Assembly. They will drag the North backward, and not only the North, South-east, South-south and some states in the South-west, such as Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, will have problems with these bills,” Zulum said.
“It is not opposition. This, based on our understanding, is something that will destroy the North in its entirety. Therefore, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and others to review this decision. He secured 60% of his votes in the North. He should not listen to those telling him that northerners are not supporting him. What we need now is the withdrawal of the tax bills.”
Zulum also spoke on what he termef the speedy passage of the bill and urged the National Assembly to take a second look at the bill and exercise caution before adding it into law.
“Why all the rush! There’s a petroleum bill that was presented but it took almost 20 years before it was finally passed. But this one was transmitted and now receiving legislative attention within a week. What we are saying is that, let it be treated carefully and with caution so that even after our exit, our children would reap the benefits,” he said.
“How we see it is, if these bills scale through, we will not be able to even pay salaries. And if we paid, it won’t be sustainable the following year .These bills will not mean good for us.”
