FG’s planned VAT increment insensitive, bad economic policy -Fayose

APC slams Gov over opposition to poll crime tribunal

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has said that the Federal Government was planning to impose more hardships on Nigerians by proposing to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) from the current five per cent to 10 per cent, describing the move as insensitive to the plight of Nigerians who are suffering from the bad economic policies of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government. This is even as the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State on Sunday berated Gov. Fayose over his opposition to the establishment of election crimes tribunal to try individuals involved in election frauds. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had said on Thursday in Lagos that the current five per cent VAT rate in the country was very low, and went on to add that the Federal Government would increase the taxpayer base this year. Reacting through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Gov. Fayose said any increment in VAT or any other tax being paid by Nigerians at this time will further make life unbearable for the people.

“Nigerians are suffering and the little that they have, Federal Government is planning to take back through VAT increment, and this is wickedness! “Under three months, electricity tariff was increased despite epileptic power supply, N50 stamp duty was imposed on bank customers for money received into their accounts via electronic transfer, cash and cheques; petrol is being sold for as high as N400 per litre and now they are talking about increasing VAT to 10 per cent.

This is the height of insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians,” he said. The governor, who lamented the increase in the cost of living of Nigerians, occasioned by the bad economic policies of the Federal Government, said “even recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that prices of food have hit a record high and inflation is worsening.

“How can government be considering 100 per cent increment in VAT when businesses are folding up, prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed, millions of Nigerians are losing their jobs and those who are still employed are no longer getting paid regularly? “For even contemplating the increment of VAT at this difficult time shows that the Buhari-led government does not care about the welfare of the citizens and only God will save the poor masses from the hands of this government.”

Fayose said rather than imposing more hardships on Nigerians, President Buhari should seek help from experts on how best to revive the country’s economy, adding, “As at today, the Buhari-led government is yet to show that it has any clue to the revival of the economy.” Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has berated Governor Ayo Fayose over opposition to the establishment of election crimes tribunal to try individuals involved in election frauds.

It also confirmed that “US travel ban on the Governor Fayose and members of his family by the United States of America is punishment for a governor always in controversies over alleged election and $81 million financial frauds.” But Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, who described this as untrue, said Governor Fayose has travelled to the US only twice in his life and since he became governor, and has not had any reason to apply for US visa since he became governor in 2014, not to talk of being restricted from traveling to the country.

“It is on record that during the governor’s trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the court ordered that his international passport be deposited with the court. When the passport was released to him in 2009, he applied to the US embassy for the renewal of his visa and the embassy denied him of the renewal on the premise that he was still under trial.” Fayose had last week criticised the proposal by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to establish election crimes tribunal to try individuals involved in fraudulent practices and violence during elections.

The governor also said the Federal Government would manipulate the federal institutions, such as the Police, Army, DSS and INEC officials to implicate members of the opposition in such election crimes courts. In a swift reaction through a statement by APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, and made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the party said “ by opposing the proposal, Fayose was afraid of his own shadow by the way the federal institutions he listed were manipulated to help him win the June 21, 2014 governorship election.” The APC which pointed out that the governor was a lone voice in the opposition to poll crime court because of the circumstances through which he won his election, said: “We are not surprised that Fayose is afraid of election crimes court because he knows how he emerged as the governor. He is afraid to face the court because he can never win any election without committing fraud and attacking the opposition.

“The United States had already delivered her judgment on Fayose over alleged $81m fraud in Ekiti State funds, political killings and election fraud by imposing travel ban on him and members of his family. “His electoral fraud manifested in using the Army, Police and DSS personnel by the PDP-led Federal Government to help him win his election while Fayose himself said in Captain Sagir Koli’s secretly recorded tape that INEC gave him sensitive soft copies that he printed to win his election. Some of the officers in the Army have lost their jobs over Fayose-induced election crime.

“It is because of the people like Fayose that INEC is calling for the election crime court proposal, yet this is the same man that is afraid that these same federal institutions would be manipulated in favour of the ruling party just because he knows that they were manipulated in his favour to win his election by the PDP-led Federal Government. What hypocrisy and lack of integrity! “We know Fayose cannot survive in any system where the law works. That is why he always cuts corners to achieve anything in life. But for us in APC, we are for decency and transparency in election conduct and we support INEC’s proposal for election crimes court to punish electoral offenders,” Olatunbosun said