PDP to Senate: Don’t pass VAT increase bill

The Peoples Democratic Party on Friday urged the Senate to assert its independence and refuse to allow the President Muhammadu Buhari-led executive to railroad it into passing the anti-people Value Added Tax increase bill, which, it said, had been rejected by Nigerians.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, also said the bill has been hurriedly passed through second reading in the Senate even when, according to him, the details were not made available to lawmakers.

According to him, the alleged failure to avail the details of the bill to the lawmakers confirmed its toxicity to the polity.

He urged the Senate leadership to bear in mind that Nigerians have rejected the bill, which is designed by the Buhari Presidency to increase VAT from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent not minding its attendant adverse economic effect on Nigerians.

Ologbondiyan said, “Such planned increase in VAT is insensitive, suppressive and if anything, will further impoverish Nigerians and worsen the prevailing agonising economic situation in the country.

“The National Assembly, as the true representatives of the people at the federal level, should, therefore, protect Nigerians by ensuring that such an anti-people policy does not receive a final legislative stamp.” Punch