By: Agande Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen | 📰 Stone Reporter News
The 2023 Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has strongly criticized the federal government’s recent decision to impose a 15 per cent import duty on refined petroleum products. Describing the move as “anti-people,” Adebayo accused President Bola Tinubu of prioritizing revenue generation over citizens’ welfare and warned that the administration’s taxation policies could escalate to absurd extremes.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Adebayo argued that the duty would ultimately burden ordinary Nigerians. “If you put 15 per cent tariffs on imported petrol, who is going to pay for it? It’s going to be paid by the person who buys the petrol at the filling station,” he said.
He further claimed that the government’s focus on revenue collection reflects a departure from principles Tinubu once championed. “President Tinubu is a clever tax collector. He wants to collect taxes from you for everything, including the oxygen tax, very soon. Just give him time; he’s going to get there,” Adebayo warned.
Adebayo also highlighted what he described as a shift in mindset by the administration, from citizens’ welfare to viewing Nigerians primarily as consumers. He criticized potential policies he dubbed “twins tax” or “multiple childbirth tax,” emphasizing that the government is overly preoccupied with raising funds at the expense of ordinary people.
The SDP figure concluded that the import duty represents a troubling trend in the current administration, cautioning that its impact will be felt most acutely amid existing economic hardships.
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