Obi commends Tinubu on position on VAT
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential candidate in the February 23 presidential election, Peter Obi, on Sunday commended the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Bola Tinubu, for his advice to President Muhammadu Buhari-led government not to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT).
It would be recalled that Tinubu had given the advise on Thursday during the 11th Bola Tinubu Colloquium at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, pointing out that an increase VAT rate would affect spending capacity of Nigerians and that hardship would linger in the land.
In his reaction, Obi said Tinubu’s advice made economic sense but noted that he should have been humble enough to give credit to the opposition party, which he claimed has during electioneering campaigns maintained that tax must be relaxed to act as incentive to investors.
He stated this in a statement from his media office, insisting that the correct way to go to make the economy better, given the level of unemployment in the country, was to have an attractive economic policy that will be inviting to entrepreneurs and investors.
According to Obi, APC’s earlier position to increase tax, VAT inclusive, proves the height of tactlessness of a government that does not about the plight of the populace.
“It’s extremely unrealistic for anybody to think of growing the economy of this country, and creating jobs just by increasing tax, it’s too a simplistic approach”, he said.
On what Tinubu should have also advised Buhari’s government, Obi said the APC leader should have let the administration know the need to restructure the country.
He said, “Anybody thinking that this country will work without tinkering with the political and economic structure is deceiving himself because no nation grows on injustice.”
He stressed that it was unfortunate that Nigeria with all her potentials is among the three African countries according Pew Research Center Where 45 per cent of the adult population are desiring to leave the country.
