A Northern good governance advocacy group, Northern Star Youth Empowerment Initiative has rejected the Federal Government’s tax reform bill, now before the National Assembly.
The group describes itself as a non political, non tribal and non religious youth movement that aims at uniting and protecting the interests of the North. It said it is a pressure group that promotes good governance, unity, progress and development of northern Nigeria.
In a statement in Kaduna on Wednesday, the group’s Director General, Dr Abdullahi Idris said that, having studied the bill , his group has come to the conclusion that, although there are beneficial aspects, but sections that deal with the distribution of Value Added Tax revenue are unfair and would lead to economic adversity for the North.
He therefore called on the Tinubu administration to withdraw it with immediate effect.
Wondering why there was not enough consultations before the bill was presented to the National Assembly, Idris called on members of the National Assembly, especially those from the North not to endorse it, they are not to incur the wrath of their people.
He recalled that the bill was presented for passage into law at its current form against the advice of many well-meaning Nigerians, including the National Economic Council because of its potential to benefit some sections of the country at the detriment of othes.
Idris called on the Federal Government to withdraw the bill and allow for more thorough scrutiny and wider consultations before it is reintroduced to the National Assembly for passage into law.
