Former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has vowed to pioneer the call for heavy taxation on wealthy persons in Nigeria.
Aregbesola said this on Monday during his screening as a ministerial nominee before the Senate.
Senator Theodore Orji representing Abia Central had asked Aregbesola what his views were about multiple taxation and how it affects businesses.
Aregbesola said: “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 won’t go deep into that. I will recommend serious taxation for wealthy people in Nigeria.”
The former governor said he would be satisfied if the heavy taxes on the rich help lift the burden on small businesses.
Aregbesola added that allegations of him not paying workers during his tenure as governor were due to mischief and ignorance.
He said: “Rumours of owed salaries in Osun during my tenure was due to mischief and ignorance.
“By 2014, our nation was in distress, and virtually all states had difficulty with salaries. We came up with an approach that there is no month that any public official did not have salary every month.”
