Sunday Dare Claims Tax Reform Bills Will Force States To Fulfill Their Obligations

Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, has emphasized that the Tax Reform Bills will compel state governments to fulfill their duties.

Dare made this statement on Sunday while responding to the internally generated revenue (IGR) data from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, as well as each state’s share of the federal allocation.

The data revealed the cumulative IGR contributions from each state and how much was redistributed among them. For instance, the South West region, comprising Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, and Oyo States, contributed ₦3.11 trillion in IGR but received ₦849.71 billion, or 27.4% of their contributions.

In comparison, the South-South region, including Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, and Edo States, contributed ₦1.08 trillion but received ₦543.49 billion, amounting to 50.3% of their IGR.

The North West region, made up of Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, and Zamfara States, contributed ₦211.27 billion but received ₦574.32 billion—271.8% more than their contribution.

Similarly, the North East (Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe) and North Central (Benue, FCT, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau) regions also received significantly more than their contributions, at 236% and 264.4%, respectively.

The South-East region (Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra, and Imo States) contributed ₦101.09 billion but received ₦341.46 billion, representing a 337.8% increase.

In his response on X (formerly Twitter), Dare stressed that the Tax Reform Bills were designed to address inequalities and promote fairness. He wrote, “Facts don’t lie. This government will always present the facts to Nigerians. President Tinubu is an unwavering progressive and a nationalist. The Tax Reform Bills he is championing are based on the firm belief that both the Federal Government and the Sub-nationals must fulfill their responsibilities. He is committed to creating a bigger economic pie, ensuring equity, fairness, and justice.”