The core Northern states are rattled to the marrow over President Bola Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bill. The core Muslim states in the North East and North West have begun to raise the alarm that if the Bill for a new tax regime is passed into law by the two Chambers of the National Assembly, its administration will further pauperize the region which economy is in shambles due to banditry and insurgency.
The region, especially states of Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi among others, practice Sharia Law administration which forbids the consumption of beers and other alcoholic beverages in those domain. Aside the staple food items, alcoholic beverages are the most consumed products in the country.
These states in the Northern region do not only forbid alcohol consumption, their Islamic Police, the Hisbah for years have been destroying hundreds of thousands of cartons of beers anytime business men from other regions “smuggled” them into those states.
Unfortunately, those Northern region states that have destroyed multi-billion Naira businesses due to their religion, still partake in the sharing of Value Added Tax (VAT) from the products their religion forbids. What a cheating?
Southern Nigerian states have been crying over this cheating foisted on them by the military juntas. Now, to the chagrin of these states, President Tinubu has risen to challenge the protracted cheating through his proposed new tax regime which prescribes that each state can enjoy the VAT imposed on the goods consumed in their domain.
As Northern elements mount strong opposition to the Bill, it is left for the National Assembly to either end the age long cheating by passing the Bill into law, or throw it away, thereby giving the Muslim North power to continue to reap where they destroyed the crops.
For us at Tentacle, we will continue to praise Tinubu for his government’s courage in packaging the contentious Bill and submitting same to the federal lawmakers.
