As the controversies over the alleged unfair provisions of the draft Tax Reforms Bills now before the National Assembly continue to linger, the Federal Government on Monday, again, justified the provisions of the Bills and described the misgivings about it by some Northern governors and commentators as unjustifiable.
Specifically, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration described the claims made by the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, relating to the Tax Reform Bills before and during his Channels TV interview on Sunday as misleading.
The Senior Special Assistant to President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, clarified that contrary to governor’s claim that some agencies of the government would be scrapped if the Bills are passed, no such proposition is contained in the bills.
Ajayi accused Zulum of misleading the public, pointing out that no provision of the bills recommended the scrapping of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
The President’s aide maintained that the Tax Reform Bills, if passed, would help to boost the nation’s economic growth and urged analysts to desist from spreading misinformation about the bills.
He explained: “A professor and governor of a state should not be on a national television to propagate what is not true. There is no part of the Tax Reform Bills that recommends scrapping of TETFUND, NASENI and NITDA by year 2029 as claimed by Governor Zulum in his Channels TV interview with Seun Okinbaloye.
“In any public debate around these four Bills before the National Assembly, there should be no place for misinformation and deliberate falsehood. It is expected that these important reform bills will generate different reactions and views but commentators and various interest groups should endeavour to keep to the facts as contained in the Bills”, Ajayi added.
