The immediate former governor of Osun State Rauf Aregbesola has vowed to pioneer a progressive tax system for the ultra rich in Nigeria, when a becomes a Minister of the Federal Republic.
He said this on Monday when he was being screened by the Senate.
Aregbesola said the idea if properly implemented will seek for a more balanced distribution of wealth.
He opined that if the taxes are harnessed, it will give government at lower cadres of governance in Nigeria the opportunity to invest more in the people especially in terms of Social Investment programmes to further eradicate poverty and lessen the burden of equal taxation on the low class in the society.
The minister nominee said he was responding to the senator representing Abia central, Theodore Orji who asked for his view on multiple taxation and how it affects businesses.
“The truth is, Nigeria is a federation and I am a federalist. There is a limit to what we can do on taxation in the federation. I wouldn’t have loved to go into this because it is going to be controversial.
“We have left the rich men in Nigeria without discharging their responsibility to the citizens particularly on taxation.
“So, I am going to pioneer privilege taxes for those who have huge resources or wealth from which Nigerians must tap. If I go into this, there might be some ill feelings in some quarters, so I wont go deep into that.
“I will recommend serious taxation for wealthy people in Nigeria.
“If that will now translate to lifting the burden on the state and the local government to reduce the penchant for taxes that make poor people give from their inadequate resources, of course, I will be satisfied.
“I am going to advocate a just taxation system,” he said.
Mr Aregbesola was the fourth ministerial nominee to be screened on Monday. Forty ministerial nominees, of the 43 sent by President Muhammadu Buhari, had been screened last week by the lawmakers.
(Channels TV)
