FG u-turn on VAT increment vindicates Fayose, Ekiti received no refund on roads – Aide

Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka has described the federal government’s decision to drop its plan to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) as another vindication of Governor Ayodele Fayose’s stance that President Mohammadu Buhari led government was not coordinated, saying; “It is now evident that for Nigeria to be saved from this Buhari’s government policy contradictions, more Nigerians must join Governor Fayose to speak out so as to keep the government on its toes.”

Olayinka also challenged the federal government to release to the public evidence(s) of any refund on federal roads constructed/rehabilitated by the Ekiti State government, adding that; “Since Fayose assumed office, no kobo was paid to Ekiti State government by the Federal Ministry of Works and since the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in power in Abuja, the party should rather stop advertising its idiocy in Ekiti and provide documentary evidence on all payments made to the Ekiti State Government by the federal government since the State was created.”

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had said on Thursday, April 7 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.

In his reaction, Governor Fayose had said any increment in VAT or any other tax being paid by Nigerians at this time will further make life unbearable for the people, adding that; “Nigerians are suffering and the little that they have, federal government is planning to take back through VAT increment, this is wickedness!”

Apparently rescinding the federal government’s decision to increase the VAT to 10 per cent as said by the Vice President, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun said in Washington, DC, United States of America that raising VAT was punishment for those that pay and that instead of increasing VAT to 10 per cent; the federal government will increase payment compliance.

In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, Olayinka said; “If the Vice President who heads the federal government Economic Team said on April 7 that VAT was going to be increased and the Minister of Finance said on April 18 that VAT won’t be increased, isn’t this a sign that this government is disjointed?”

He said; “Governor Fayose’s position that with the increased in electricity tariff despite epileptic power supply, N50 stamp duty imposed on bank customers for money received into their accounts via electronic transfer, cash and cheques; petrol being sold for as high as N300 per litre, any increment in VAT will not be acceptable to Nigerians has now been vindicated.”

While debunking the APC persistent lie that N5.8 billion was refunded to Ekiti State by the federal government on the rehabilitation of federal roads, including the Ado-Ifaki Road, Olayinka said; “the Ado-Ifaki road that the APC shameless liars mentioned was not even among the roads the Ministry of Works earmarked for refund because of non-compliance with Federal Government regulations on award of construction/rehabilitation of federal roads.”

He said “it is even more shameful that out of desperation to sustain their propaganda and once again lie themselves into the minds of Ekiti people, the APC loudmouths that once claimed N22 billion was refunded to Ekiti State and are now claiming that N5.8 billion was refunded. Which one should we now believe? N22 billion or N5.8 billion?

“Anyway, the fact is that no kobo was refunded to Ekiti State by the federal government on road construction and the records are accessible to everyone.”