Vice President Kashim Shettima says the Federal Government’s ongoing tax reforms are designed to ease the burden on small businesses and low-income earners, not worsen their economic conditions.
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at an interfaith breaking of fast for Ramadan and Lent at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, Shettima said the reforms would eliminate multiple taxes and levies that currently affect entrepreneurs and ordinary Nigerians.
The event was attended by members of the Federal Executive Council, the Governor of the Central Bank, special advisers, senior special assistants, and heads of government agencies and parastatals.
According to the Vice President, the reforms are part of broader economic policies aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods across the country.
“The same people who are shouting hoarse that the tax reform is meant to pulverise further and pauperise the poor are far from the truth, but we have to go out and tell the truth to the people,” Shettima said.
He urged government officials and political appointees to actively educate Nigerians about the policies of the current administration and counter what he described as misinformation from political opponents.
“We have to educate them. We have to mount the pulpits and take our government to the Nigerian people and tell them the truth,” he added.
Shettima also highlighted the gains of the administration’s economic reforms, including increased foreign exchange reserves, the unification of exchange rates, and the removal of the long-standing fuel subsidy.
He commended President Tinubu for taking difficult decisions that previous administrations avoided.
“Three years down the road, the economy has bounced back,” the Vice President stated.
Shettima noted that although the removal of the fuel subsidy was not mentioned in the President’s 2023 inaugural speech, the administration had to take the decision to stop what he described as a system that was draining national resources.
He thanked government officials for their continued support of the administration and urged them to remain advocates of its reform agenda.
“On behalf of the President, I want to thank you all for comradeship, support and partnership,” he concluded.