Nigerian lawmaker, Adams Oshiomhole, has stated that President Bola Tinubu’s tax policy is consistent with the values of a progressive government.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, he stated that the tax reforms shift the burden from the poor to the rich.
He said he was among the lawmakers who supported the tax bill that eventually became law.
Oshiomhole said, “The facts on the ground show that President Tinubu’s tax policy is consistent with the values of a progressive government.
“And this is a progressive tax policy that places a higher burden on those who earn more while offering tax exemptions to those who earn less.”
The former Edo State governor emphasised that he fully supports the new tax policy, noting that no government can function without taxes.
“It is only in Nigeria that people talk about government using money or claim that government earns money on its own. Governments do not earn money; citizens earn income, and the government taxes those earnings, whether individual or corporate. The sum of these taxes determines the annual revenue of the state,” he explained.
Oshiomhole added that working families will benefit under the new tax regime.
On Value Added Tax (VAT), the senator noted that the average Nigerian worker need not worry, as VAT primarily affects luxury purchases.
He also criticised Nigerians who pay VAT abroad but complain when paying the same tax in Nigeria.
“Everywhere in the world, when you buy non-food items, you pay VAT. Nigerians pay VAT in America, London, Dubai, yet they resist paying VAT here in Nigeria,” Oshiomhole said.