Buhari Pledges to Halt Multiple Taxation

The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has said the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), will not impose any harsh tax regime on Nigerians in order to fund a social welfare scheme.

The campaign group also  condemned the emergence of fuel scarcity and fuel queues in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and some parts of the country, as well as the recent gross reduction in the hours of electricity supply across the country by electricity provider, describing it as a sad reminder of the failure of the PDP federal government.

    In a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Malam Garba Shehu, the party said under the present administration of President Jonathan, the Nigerian people and the business community are being subjected to multiple, discriminatory and harsh tax regimes.

Buhari, who spoke in a statement issued by the campaign team said the party will rather employ existing tax policies of government to fund its people-oriented programmes.

According to him, the prevailing harsh tax regime under the present PDP government has caused untold hardship on the population, while manufacturing industries in the country are threatening to shut down their operations because of the high electricity tariff imposed on them.

    “An APC administration will make life more bearable and manageable for both the citizens and the business sector by entrenching discipline in Public Administration across all sectors of governance. Second, the party will plug all loopholes through which public funds are being lost. When these loopholes and accompanying wastages are plugged and corruption reduced to a minimum or totally stamped out as promised by our presidential candidate, Buhari, the government will have reasonable quantum of funds to social investments programmes in education, health, and safety nets such as free school meals for children, emergency public works for unemployed youth and pensions for the elderly. Third, an APC government will seek to ensure that all existing laws and policies on taxation will be implemented judiciously while tax authorities and administrators will be encouraged to do their work with the utmost transparency.

    “The PDP is obviously scared of the credible alternative which the APC represents and will go to any length to lie to Nigerians on any issue including those on which the APC has not expressed a position. The majority of Nigerians are looking forward eagerly to the advent of an APC administration as a panacea to the deceit and fraud that has characterised the administration of the PDP in the last 16 years.

    “In view of the mood of the nation and the glaring cases of stealing, corruption, fraud and looting that is the character of the present administration, we advise the PDP spokesperson to save his breath and make the burden of change and power transfer lighter by advising his party and their government functionaries to start preparing hand-over notes!

    In another statement issued  by the Directorate of Media and Publicity of APCPCO, the campaign explained that the recent fuel price reductions announced by the federal government was borne out of political expediency, rather than compassion, because the ruling party is desperate to cling to power at all costs.

    In the statement signed by Shehu, the APC campaign  said all the emergency projects and palliatives being bandied about by the Jonathan government are intended to pull wool over the eyes of Nigerians.

    According to  Shehu, a PDP administration that greeted Nigerians with an unprecedented fuel price increase of N140 per liter in January 2012 has lost the basis to be trusted any further by Nigerians.

    He explained that the APC Presidential Campaign was not surprised by the sudden return of fuel queues at filling stations in Abuja and other major cities.

    He said the return of fuel queues, which are causing undue hardships for passengers, motorists and other Nigerians, has made nonsense of the recent federal government announced reductions in fuel prices.

    Shehu added that the PDP’s artificial show of compassion towards Nigerians in the face of imminent electoral debacle should not fool anyone.

    The APC Presidential Campaign  described the  return of fuel queues at filling stations as a confirmation that the policies of the Jonathan administration are founded on deceit and insincerity.

    It condemned the emergence of fuel scarcity and fuel queues in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and some parts of the country, as well as the recent gross reduction in the hours of electricity supply across the country by electricity providers describing it as sad reminders of the failure of the PDP Federal Government.

    The party wondered how a political party which has been in power for 16 years and which is unable to ensure that its citizens enjoy regular fuel supply being an oil producing and endowed country and electricity having privatized the power sector and given generous financial assistance to operators of the power sector can still feel confident to seek another term in office.

    “To add insult to injury, the Jonathan government has also given billions of naira to these operators under the guise of assisting them to improve power supply, without result. And this happened after the sector had been sold and the facilities handed over to these private operators.

    “We of the APC demand that the Jonathan government and his party explain to Nigerians the reason why fuel scarcity and blackout should persist making life a hell for Nigerians, despite huge investments and policies put in place to eradicate these problems.