The Forum for Growth and Development of Arewa, a coalition group from northern Nigeria, has voiced strong opposition to the Federal Government’s new tax reform initiative.
The group also announced its plans to stage a protest on Wednesday to express their disapproval, branding the proposed tax reforms as “anti-North.”
The coalition’s protest aims to send a clear message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as members of the Senate and House of Representatives, rejecting the reform bills, which they believe would negatively impact the economic interests of northern Nigeria.
The group argued that the reforms would exacerbate the region’s existing economic challenges, according to Independent.
The Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Bill, which President Tinubu introduced to the Senate, is designed to streamline tax collection, improve compliance, and increase government revenue. However, the northern coalition believes the bill’s implementation would disproportionately affect the northern region, which already faces significant economic and developmental disparities compared to the south.
In a press statement, the coalition said it had conducted extensive consultations and investigations regarding the proposed tax reforms, concluding that their implementation would further marginalise the northern region economically.
The group also criticized Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the House of Representatives from Kano State, for supporting the tax reforms, arguing that he failed to consider the economic challenges faced by the north.
The coalition pointed out that the tax reforms could further worsen the already dire economic conditions in the north, which is struggling with poverty, high unemployment rates, and insufficient infrastructure. While acknowledging that the reforms might benefit the southern region, the group emphasized that the north, with its widespread poverty, could not afford policies that would deepen its economic hardship.
The statement also highlighted the security challenges in the north and the region’s underdeveloped infrastructure. The coalition warned that any policy that worsened the region’s economic situation would face strong resistance. They urged northern citizens, particularly the youth, to join the protest and oppose the passage of the tax reform bills.
“We have consulted widely and carried out investigation about the proposed tax reform bills and discovered that the implementation would relatively affect and relegate the northerner region economically and commercially.
” We therefore submit that the tax reform will disproportionately affect the economic livelihoods and aspirations of our people, especially considering the current harsh economic reality in the country,” according to the statement.
“North is currently facing problems insecurity,severe poverty, unemployment, and dearth of infrastructure and any move to further create a policy that will improvish us will be met with resistance.
“We are therefore calling our youths and citizens from the region to join to stop further action on the tax reform bills,” the statement added.
