Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, says the Federal Government’s ongoing tax reforms are designed to improve the lives of Nigerians, particularly small business owners and low-income earners, rather than worsen their economic situation.
Speaking on behalf of Bola Ahmed Tinubu during an interfaith breaking of fast for both Ramadan and Lent at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, the Vice President said the reforms would remove the burden of multiple taxes and levies that currently affect businesses across the country.
Shettima noted that the tax reform plan was carefully designed to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty, dismissing claims by critics that the policies are aimed at worsening the conditions of ordinary Nigerians.
“The same people who are shouting that the tax reform is meant to pulverise and pauperise the poor are far from the truth,” he said. “We have to go out and tell the truth to the people. We must educate them and take the message of the government to Nigerians.”
The event was attended by members of the Federal Executive Council, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, special advisers, senior special assistants, and heads of government agencies and parastatals.
Shettima urged government officials to actively promote the administration’s reforms and counter what he described as misinformation from opposition groups.
Highlighting the gains of recent economic policies, the Vice President said Nigeria has witnessed improvements, including increased foreign exchange reserves, the unification of exchange rates, and the removal of the fuel subsidy, which, according to him, had for years benefited only a few individuals.
He added that President Tinubu deserves credit for confronting difficult economic challenges that previous administrations avoided.
Shettima explained that although the removal of fuel subsidy was not part of the President’s 2023 inaugural speech, the government had to act quickly after discovering that the subsidy regime was draining national resources needed for development.
“Three years down the road, the economy has bounced back,” the Vice President said, while thanking government officials for their continued support and partnership with the administration.
