An Abuja- based senior lawyer, Malam Ahmed Raji (SAN) has called on the Federal Government to immediately introduce Wealth Tax Policy that will make super rich Nigerians to pay deserved tax that will be used to cater for the poor people in the country.
The Senior Advocate said that the suggested tax policy, if introduced and implemented, will make the super rich Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to government’s purse to bridge the gap between the affluent and poor in Nigeria .
Raji, who spoke at a public lecture entitled “Taxing Powers in a Federal System” in Abuja to mark his 60th birthday, stated that time has come for government to do real balancing between the rich and the poor in Nigeria.
He argued that in the face of harsh economic situation starring poor Nigerians in the face, the poor needs to be subsidized and not to be taxed under any guise so as to balance their anger against the rich.
The Senior Advocate also noted that there are sufficient evidence that some super rich class own personal jets worth $50million each at a time when some families could not afford to eat twice a day, adding that the country cannot witness genuine peace under such a situation.
He said, “It is a fact that the downturn in Nigeria’s economy is having harsh and devastating effects on the poor majority of Nigerians. The wide disparity between the rich and the poor should be of grave concern to patriotic Nigerians and the way out must be found.
“The gap between the rich and the poor is so much and so offensive that It can lead to break down of law and order in any moment.
“It is in the interest of justice that the super rich should shed part of their stupendous wealth to cater for the downtrodden masses before it is too late.
“Majority of Nigerians are in absolute poverty. Over 90 percentage of the Nigerian population is in abject poverty and time has come for us, including myself to address the ugly situattion.
“Any attempt to pretend that all is well may spell doom for the nation. We will be sitting on a keg of powder if we refuse to address the challenges of the poor masses now.”
Raji further appealed to the government that the instrumentality of Wealth Tax must be adopted and used to develop the Nigerian nation as done in the United States of America, United Kingdom and France.
The Senior Advocate also disclosed that he opted to use the public lecture to mark his birthday so as to use it to draw attention to some burning issues and challenges that deserve public attention rather than mere merry making.
