Tax reform: Sanwo-Olu defends NGF amid fiscal policy allegations

•Says govs willings to back reforms

By Lukman Olabiyi

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has rebuffed allegations by the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms that the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) shunned a meeting it called to discuss issues pertinent to the bill.

The committee’s chairman, Taiwo Oyedele, has claimed that governors failed to meet with the committee on the proposed Tax Reform Bills.

Sanwo-Olu clarified that while there was an initial lack of awareness among governors about the bills, they now have a full understanding of its provisions.

He stated that the accusation of governors avoiding meetings with the committee was inaccurate.

Speaking on Arise Television, Oyedele had alleged that governors canceled four scheduled meetings with the panel.

His remarks came in response to criticisms that the committee had not adequately consulted with state leaders regarding the tax reforms.

Further fueling the debate, prominent northern politician and elder statesman, Buda Galadima, claimed the proposed bills favoured only Ogun and Lagos states, arguing that the committee had failed to consult with any governor other than Governor Sanwo-Olu.

But when asked about the view of NGF on tax reform based on allegations levelled against it by the panel’s chairman, Sanwo-Olu replied: “That is not really the situation. Rightly so, we are not fully aware of the extent of the reform but in the last couple of months, everybody has schooled themselves, everybody has taken time to understand, to digest, to get expert advice on it and I want to tell you clearly now that a lot of governors are now convinced. People have been educated, we’ve seen that it is an opportunity for us to have a lot of revenue and be able to track and trap where defaulters are and bring everybody on board. You will see an increase in revenue across the three tiers of government and there will be fairer distribution of it … I believe a significant number of us have bought into it . And at the end of the day, it will be a win-win for everybody.”