Follow Us on Google
The amendments being sought by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) at the National Assembly on the controversial Value Added Tax (VAT) is dead on arrival as it would be killed at the State House of Assemblies, Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has declared.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he maintained that the law does not give power to the Federal Government to collect VAT and share to the states, adding that the VAT should be under the state.
“That’s the position of the law. The FIRS seeking for amendment is a confirmation that they don’t have the power. The amendment will be dead on arrival. Why seek an amendment to a constitution when the provision is so clear,” Akeredolu explained on Arise TV programme, yesterday.
He insisted that if the federal government was to collect VAT for states, it can only get percentage which the federal government can decide to share at the FAAC.
“You can only collect VAT on behalf of the states and hand their money over to them. You can only take percentage there for helping us to collect the money,” he said. He said the Southern Governors’ Forum aligned and agreed with the position and steps taken by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to pursue the amendment to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to reflect equity, justice and fairness.
He dismissed the notion that his recent visit to former Lagos governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in London was in connection with the 2023 election.
He said he was in London to see Tinubu and he sure that the rumors flying around on the social media was untrue.
Governor Akeredolu who described the former Lagos State Governor as the ‘capon’ in the south, said he is expected to return to the country soon, so as to meet with him and be able to take certain critical decisions.
On whether he would back Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the party in 2023, Governor Akeredolu said: “APC is a party. APC will decide who the candidate will be. I have said it several times. I’m going no where. If I leave APC, I am going back to my chamber. For me, whatever APC decides,I will follow.” Asked whether he has not breached the constitution with the appointment of four commissioners and few Special Advisers since inaugurated for his second term in office in February, Governor Akeredolu said the decision on the number of commissioners to be appointed lies with him.
