Senator Ali Ndume has said the tax reform bill of President Bola Tinubu administration is dead on arrival.
Ndume stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Tuesday.
He said that Northern leaders were totally against the bill because because it was against the north.
Ndume added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was supposed to reform governance not impose another tax on Nigerians.
He urged the president to listen to the advice of the Northern Governors’ Forum and immediately withdraw the bills.
Ndume said, “Our people are saying they don’t want the VAT bill, they don’t even want to hear about it. That is why we are going to make it dead on arrival. President Tinubu should heed the advice of the National Economic Council (NEC) and the Northern Governors’ Forum and withdraw the bills immediately.
“Nigerians are willing to pay taxes but only when they can afford it. Right now, people are struggling to survive. Let people live first before you start asking them for taxes.”
Ndume said it would be fair to shut the bill down, hinting that he had started rallying support among colleagues to reject the bills.
“What he needs to do is to withdraw the bill. Then go back to our people, educate and make us understand. We are representing the people, and they have already made their stance clear.
“The governors and traditional rulers have said that the bill is not good. So, the best course of action is to withdraw it immediately,” he added.
