The Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has stated that Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws reflect the ideals of a progressive government.
During his appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Wednesday. Oshiomhole said governments don’t earn money, but tax citizens who do. According to the former Edo governor, resistance to the value added tax (VAT) is peculiar to Nigeria.
“The facts on the ground show that President Tinubu’s tax policy is consistent with the values of a progressive government.
“It is only in Nigeria that people talk about the government using money or claim that the 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.
“Taxes must be paid by those who are supposed to pay it and must be ruthlessly collected. It’s not a civil obligation.
“It’s a criminal thing if you breach the tax law, and it has to send people to prison if they decline or doctor the tax books. That is what serious governments should do.
“When you and I choose to buy luxury or imported items, then we pay VAT. If you don’t consume luxury, you don’t pay VAT. That is why VAT is fair.
“Nigerians pay VAT in London, in America, in Dubai, sometimes up to 20 per cent, and nobody complains. Why is it a problem when it is 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.
The sun
