Ali Ndume, the lawmaker representing Borno South in the Senate has called out the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS) over the proposed VAT hike.
He said that Nigerians are struggling to survive due to the high cost of petrol in the nation.
Ndume stated this while reacting to the plan by the Federal Government to review the tax regime of the country upward.
He claimed that the managers of the economy want to make President Bola Ahmed Tinubu look bad before Nigerians by proposing an increase in tax.
Speaking via a statement, he said, “Allow Nigerians to have enough blood in their body before you start asking for donation.
“I am not saying people should not pay tax, but do not go and tax people that are struggling to survive. You are paying somebody N70,000 as a minimum wage, and all of a sudden, the price of fuel went up to N1,000.
“It means that if you put the arithmetic together, you see that you would have continued paying me the N30,000 and allow the litre of fuel to be N100.
“It is like giving you with one hand and taking it with the other hand. Let the tax authority focus on those who are supposed to pay tax. For example, in Abuja, if you go round, there are a lot of properties in there that are not paying taxes. Fortunately, you have Nyesom Wike who stands up to do something about it.
“People are not paying property taxes. These banks, for example, are making tons and tons of money, and they are not paying taxes. And they are collecting taxes. If you transfer money, they are collecting taxes.”
