The Northern Governors Forum has opposed the Tax Reform Bill that has been submitted to the National Assembly.
In a statement delivered by the chairman of the forum and the Governor of Gombe State, Mohammed Yahaya, the governors expressed their discontent with the suggested changes to the allocation of Value Added Tax (VAT) to a Derivation-based Model.
The statement reads: “Forum notes with dismay the content of the recent Tax Reform Bill that was forwarded to the National Assembly. The contents of the Blare against the interests of the North and other sub-nationals especially the proposed amendment to the distribution of Value Added Tax (VAT) to a Derivation-based Model.
“This is because companies remit VAT using the location of their headquarters and tax office and not where the services and goods are consumed. In view of the foregoing, the Forum unanimously rejects the proposed Tax Amendments and calls on members of the National Assembly to oppose any bill that can jeopardise the well-being of our people.”
In a related development, the Forum urged the Federal Government and the appropriate agencies to promptly tackle the ongoing electricity blackout that is impacting many northern states, primarily due to the vandalism of power transmission infrastructure.
In their words “The forum resolves to call on the Federal Government and relevant Agencies to urgently address the current electricity power blackout affecting most of the Northern States due to vandalization of electricity transmission infrastructure.
“This matter not only underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, but also the need to build aalitional transmission lines and diversify our energy supply so as to better connect our region and improve our energy resilience.”
