ABUJA — PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Monday emphatically said that tax reforms have come to stay and that there was no going back to.
The President also ruled out the possibility of reducing the size of his government.
Fielding questions in his first Presidential Media Chat, in Lagos, cost of governance and the call for more time to be given on tax reform, Tinubu noted that no amount of time would be enough for those criticizing the tax reform bills and asking for more time.
He said: “Tax reform is here to stay, we cannot just continue to do what we were doing yester years into this economy, we cannot retool this economy with the old, broken folks.
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The essence of the tax reform is to eliminate colonial assumptions in our tax environment.
“I was once the governor of Lagos State, and I remember what I met, and I’m proud of what I left and what it is today. It’s a large stage now, and it’s still expanding. The greatest real estate value is here. You have to accommodate all of that. You have to put that one into the economic calculations.”
Reminded that critics argue that there is a rush in the new tax reform and that more dialogue and political solution could prevent the outcry and the resistance, but the President disagreed with that position.
According to him, “Every tax situation, without outcry is not a tax, you cannot satisfy uniformly the larger community of tax invaders, look at this tax reform it’s pro-poor. The vulnerable are not to pay taxes. All we have asked for is, widen the net, bake the cake larger so that we can share a larger meal.
“What is the need? They will still ask for this consultation, no matter how long I delay it. The hallmark of a good leader is the ability to do what you have to do at the time it has to be done. That’s my philosophy. You have given me the mandate to govern, let me govern with the limit of my capacity. And I believe I have that capacity. I believe so that’s why I went into the race.
“I am focused on what Nigeria needs, and what I must do for Nigerians. It is just not going to be Eldorado for everybody, but the new dawn is here, I’m convinced, and you should be convinced. You should help propagate that conviction.”
On whether he is prepared to reduce the size of his government, the President said: “I am not prepared to bring down the size of my cabinet, I saw the need when I put them together. You don’t give somebody an assignment that they cannot fulfill. No. Job descriptions must be efficient and effective.
“Nigeria is a large country, and I’m glad you are here, if you have to entertain over 200 million people just on entertainment. Calculate, how many stewards will you require? Just, you know, for entertainment, not the cleaners, not the desk tables, excuse me, let’s pay attention to efficiency. Efficiency and effectiveness is the hallmark of the philosophy behind that cabinet. I’m not ready to shrink a little bit of it. I need them.”
Asked whether the cabinet members are adding value to his administration, he said: “Effectively, show me one, and I argue with you. Well, just show me one.”