Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has said the Federal Government’s ongoing tax reforms are designed to eliminate multiple levies on businesses, reduce poverty and ease the burden on low-income earners.
Shettima made the remarks on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during an interfaith breaking of fast organised for Ramadan and Lent at the State House in Abuja.
The event brought together key government officials, including members of the Federal Executive Council, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other senior government functionaries.
According to the vice president, the new tax framework is aimed at simplifying the country’s taxation system and removing the burden of multiple levies that currently affect small businesses across the country.
He also noted that the reforms would provide relief for low-income earners by reducing certain tax obligations, while improving economic opportunities for ordinary Nigerians.
Shettima dismissed claims by critics that the reforms were designed to worsen the condition of poor citizens. He insisted that such claims were based on misinformation.
“The same people who are shouting hoarse that the tax reform is meant to pulverise and pauperise the poor are far from the truth,” he said.
He urged government officials to actively communicate the objectives and benefits of government policies to Nigerians in order to counter misleading narratives.
“We have to go out and tell the truth to the people. We have to educate them,” he added.
The vice president also highlighted what he described as the positive outcomes of the administration’s economic reforms so far. According to him, Nigeria has witnessed improvements in foreign exchange reserves and a more streamlined exchange-rate system.
He further pointed to the removal of fuel subsidy as a bold decision that addressed long-standing distortions in the country’s economy. According to him, the subsidy regime had for years benefited only a small segment of the population.
“Three years down the road, the economy has bounced back,” Shettima stated.
He called on government officials to remain proactive in explaining the administration’s policies and achievements, while also countering what he described as misinformation being spread by opposition groups.
