Vice President Kashim Shettima said the Federal Government’s new tax reforms would eliminate the burden of multiple levies on small businesses and low-income earners, helping to reduce poverty across Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at an interfaith breaking of fast for Ramadan and Lent at the State House in Abuja, Shettima said the reforms were carefully designed to improve livelihoods despite criticism from political opponents.
According to him, the reforms are aimed at simplifying the tax system while protecting vulnerable groups from excessive charges.
“The same people who are shouting hoarse that the tax reform is meant to pulverise further and pauperise the poor are far from the truth, but we have to go out and tell the truth to the people,” the Vice President said.
“We have to educate them. We have to mount the pulpits and take our government to the Nigerian people and tell them the truth.”
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 agencies and parastatals.
Shettima urged government officials to remain strong advocates of the administration’s reforms, stressing that the government was genuinely concerned about the welfare of Nigerians.
He noted that several policy measures introduced by the administration were aimed at lifting citizens out of poverty without imposing additional burdens.
Highlighting some gains of the government’s economic reforms, the Vice President cited improvements in Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves, the streamlining of exchange rates and the removal of fuel subsidy.
He said President Tinubu deserved commendation for confronting long-standing economic challenges that previous administrations had avoided.
Shettima explained that although the removal of fuel subsidy was not originally included in the President’s 2023 inaugural speech, the decision became necessary because the subsidy regime had continued to drain national resources.
“Three years down the road, the economy has bounced back,” he said.
The Vice President also called on government officials to intensify public engagement by sharing factual information about the administration’s achievements and countering what he described as misinformation from opposition parties.
“On behalf of the President, I want to thank you all for comradeship, support and partnership,” he added.
