Olayiwola Matthew
Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has threatened to dump the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the four tax reform bills proposed by President Bola Tinubu.
Ndume spoke on Thursday night when he appeared on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme – hours after the senate passed the bills for second reading.
In October, Tinubu asked the national assembly to consider and pass the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service, the Nigeria Tax Administration bill, and the Nigeria tax bill.
The Borno senator has been vocal against the bills. The governors in the northern part of the country are also against the legislations.
While appearing on the television programme, the lawmaker said he is “close” to Tinubu and does not want to see him fail.
“If not, look, I can leave the party,” Ndume said.
“When you say those earning N800,000 below do not pay VAT – on what? Do you exclude him from paying VAT from the goods that he will buy in the market? And then the corporate tax goes up.
“Now they transfer the cost or the taxes over to the consumer. So, are you helping him?
“Even today, the price of cement goes up and that means consumers will have to pay more. If you tax Dangote for his refined products, it means he will add that cost to the cost per litre.
“So, if you are saying if you’re earning below N800,000 you will not pay tax, what of those people that are below that level.”
The senate is expected to hold a public hearing on the bills in the coming weeks.