₦airaland Forum

Esthered:
What if the party has always been a yearly affair and more like a tradition....

Like Christmas?

JASONjnr:
Garri is supposed to be cheap... But when you go to grind your cassava, they will need diesel or PMS to power the grinder and fuel isn't cheap. So the price of grinding the cassava is tied to the pump price.

Also, buying chemicals and paying labour for weeding and fertilizing your farm is coming with high taxation these days.

But the people producing Garri for their personal consumption will sell it to you at a very cheap rate...

If you doubt me, go to Ogoja and confirm.

Clear, but I hope you are aware that everything you mentioned contributes less than 30% to the high cost of garri? Garri is expensive because the people selling it now face significantly higher bills compared to 2020–2023 (a direct result of the weakened FX from #400 to #1600 within a year). They have increased school fees for their children, higher rent, and other expenses. They don’t consume garri 24/7, so they also need to pay for other imported foods like rice, groundnut oil, frozen foods, and more.

I’m glad you mentioned the cost of labour because no labourer will work for the same amount they were paid in 2023. Like everyone else, they have higher bills to settle.

We can’t avoid the FX conversation.

JASONjnr:
We need the pump price to go down..... We're now producing locally and we shouldn't be killing ourselves to buy fuel at exorbitant prices....

The garri you have been producing locally for decades, how much do you pay for it now?

This one is self deceit. If you want prices to go down, then we must revisit the naira-dollar conversation. 1,000,000 functional local refineries will not force down pump price without that conversation.

Incredible!

I still do not understand the logic behind hosting parties you clearly can't afford. What exactly are you trying to achieve? Why serve agbo jedi or garri when you can simply avoid serving anything at all in the first place?

No Nigerian president? What are their names? E no go ever pass that Daura man.

Let's continue to pretend and act like we don't need instant public execution for certain offences and lawlessness. By the time we are done copying non-functional laws and regulations from the West, we will come back to our senses someday.

In an insane country like Nigeria, people like Taiwo should not be allowed to see another day. But hey, we are still busy stealing textbook laws from the YouKay. Na why someone like Yeye Bello would steal 80 billion today and still be allowed to use the gym, exotic cars, etc. The earlier we realise that our problems are deeply rooted in our laws, the better for all o. It is well.

You will have a hard time explaining the difference between curses and prayers.

1000-2000 children gathering to fight for rice and beans is not considered a threat to the government until 50 people in Ekiti gather to demand justice for Dele Farotimi.

Yeah, earn almost double. Then pay triple as salaries, cost of goods, cost of vehicles and machines etc. then higher your tabloids and banger boys to celebrate your "high" revenue.

Throwback:
Many of you don't want anything good to happen.

What they want don't matter. Show workings. Not everyday cho cho cho and ranka ya dade to fraudsters.

SmartyPants:
Okay. So is it Taiwo Oyedele's job to address the cost of fuel? Please remind me why you said he is a hypocrite again.

And since the context is tax, do share the tax reforms you feel would be non hypocritical.

Describing him as a hypocrite is a response to his previous position on tax reforms during the Buhari administration.

It is not his job to address fuel issues, and honestly, I am not exactly against the tax reform bill. What I am against is the noise about its supposed benefits to the poor, whether through tax relief on personal income tax, VAT exemptions, or benefits to states. We are led to believe this bill is unprecedented, one that will transform the lives of the poor. But I wonder why that is because, last time I checked, the poor don't pay personal income tax. Poor people spend more on the hike in Okada fees, POS deductions, and the greed of vendors than they ever would on VAT. What is VAT when they are already losing almost N300 on every 10k withdrawal??

From my experience, the government has mastered the art of giving N10 only to take N20 in return. So, I wonder why many people seem to care about benefits they don't even understand. Around the same time the government announced these benefits, are you aware that an instruction was given to digital banks to deduct N50 on all transactions above N9,999. How can a government claiming to care for the poor give such instructions, knowing very well that the poor in Nigeria rely heavily on digital banking/POS?

Policies should align with existing frameworks and, more importantly, with our realities. I don’t expect Oyedele to let himself be used by politicians to market benefits that, in reality, do not exist. This is the same Oyedele who once wrote an article for PwC Nigeria lamenting that only 10 million people pay personal income tax. He is a tax consultant and should focus on his job.

We always seem detached from our reality. This is the same pattern every time. Same way the government removed fuel and electricity subsidies only to promise an increase in minimum wage - an increment that, in reality, benefits less than 10% of the population. We created "benefits" that only led to more problems (hyperinflation, wage disparity, more poor population, etc.) for the majority - 90%. Never seen a thing like this. We will steal textbook-GPT-informed policies from the west, e.g., on traditional banking when, in reality, majority of our population operate in a POS banking system.

zero8zero:
This comment smacks of illiteracy, when multiple taxes are eliminated, these kiosks and road side traders benefit even more. The multiple taxes and illegal levies are a major headache for traders. See beyond the hate.

Another textbook-inspired gibberish. Who's eliminating the multiple taxes and levies at the local levels? How are you achieving that through the policy document?

You (government) sold the fraudulent personal income tax "benefits" to people who don't pay personal income tax only to start deducting N50 from all transactions above N9,999 from their digital bank accounts.

SmartyPants:
Any time you people want to talk nonsense you start with meaningless phrases. So there is a real poor and a fake poor?

So the blue collar worker earning 50k which is probably much lower than what the market woman earns, is not poor? And the so called market woman, does she buy basic good that have VAT?? When she buys medicine does she pay VAT on that? Can removing VAT on such make her less multi-dimensionally poor?

Is the blue collar worker registered for personal income tax? According to the Joint Tax Board, there are only 10 million people registered for personal income tax purposes in all the states of the federation including the FCT (40% of this population are based in Lagos). So much noise about nothing. Compare that figure to about 39 million micro business owners in Nigeria.

I don't want to go into that VAT conversation because it is a complete waste of time. The VAT nonsense has little or almost no effect on what the poor typically buys from the market. If you care about them, address the cost of fuel. This is one of the real issues affecting cost of goods/services, and not the VAT nonsense.

Every gain the government want to see via VAT removal has already vanished even before the policy document was released. It only takes an angry vendor or business owner to erode that gain.

If you care to follow my argument, you'll see why many policies don't work in Nigeria. We have mastered the act of ignoring our own realities only to run after shadows.

SmartyPants:
You clearly don't have a clue. It is not one bill but a pack of 4 bills collectively pushing tax reforms that touch on different areas including the removal of income tax for the poor. Smh.

Do you know any kiosk owner, shop owner, market woman, etc. in your neighborhood that pays "income tax"? Shake your head very well. These are the actual "poor people" and they pay more tax (indirect/multiple) than the so called "income tax." I do not understand how the tax bill affects the woman who has to pay money to at least 3 unions from local and state government, one baale (king/chief), touts, POS vendors, etc.

He should be executed if found guilty. I know at least 3 pensioners from Kogi that died in penury without receiving their gratuities due to the criminality of the Kogi state government. My dad retired from service over 12 years now and still waiting for his gratuity - a sum that has become almost worthless due to hyperinflation/tinubulation.

...because you're a big hypocrite. The sensible poor also know that the bill have very little or no effect on them. Yet, you and your folks consistently use them to sell your narratives. What's the effect of the bill on market women, kiosk and small business owners with non-salary Opay and Moniepoint accounts?

It's shocking how this tragedy is yet to attract the right attention. Is this not enough to ban all public gatherings of more than 500 without due and comprehensive approval by the government? Oh, I forgot this wasn't a protest. 100 people can die due to hunger and nobody will shake. Organise a small protest against these ronu criminals and their condemned children (fanboys and banger boys) of perdition and watch them defecate publicly.

mastermaestro:
I find this laughable. Cash scarcity, yet you can get 1 million Naira cash from POS vendors, but banks say they cannot pay you more than 20k cash. Ha! E nor go better for who spoil this country.

Some of these POS operators now prefer to buy Naira from market women, wholesalers, filling stations, etc. They're buying Naira from traders to resell to customers.

POS operations should be restricted to rural areas.

How do we explain the fact that many banks and ATMs in Lagos have 2 or more POS vendors within the same perimeter? Visit some of these ATMs and you'll find one agent standing right beside the machine waiting for customers.

Elidrisy20:
Them no dey respect old age for this country

Respect for the rule of law, not old age. Where laws are respected, everyone thrives, whether old or young.

AntiChristian:
If they are sued by FG now its witch hunting!

What happens to the military men that detained this man for four months? How about investigating and punishing the military men involved as well as the news media for fake news? Do you endorse both punishments?

Your response will determine the state of your sanity.

A serious government will seek avenues to leverage this for the good of all. Emphasis on a "serious government."

onatisi:
don't blame them boss , they have become so used to it to the extent that they believe it is normal and anything other than brute force is not normal.
They enter public transport, the transport unions insult them, police slaps anyone ,even in their. Workplaces they are abused .so it is now normal to them

Absolutely right, my oga..

No plan.

Hohaiiiode:
Even the people defending this nonsense police and Nigeria political establishment, have had their personal bad experiences and still suffering from them.

Nothing could be more surprising.

adioolayi:
Governor is right to some extent...
...but then, what is he doing with the allocations he is getting...huge or small..what is he dping with it

Read, please. He clearly asked you to state the benefit of increased allocation when prices of items have become excessively inflated?

What is the point of increasing allocations and your minimum wage to 70k when a crate of eggs, which used to sell for N900 when the minimum wage was N30k, now sells for N6000?

Tinubu's higher allocation lacks validity. It is counter-productive, counter-intuitive, and can only appeal to economic dunces and misfits.

I don’t think it matters if people believe in God or not. What matters is what they do with the belief or the lack of it.

This!

Your belief in God is useless if all you do is loot, bribe, and grab people's lands.

Exousiang01:
It said ranting.
I won't need a 2 minute check to know you are Obidient.

You only support her because she is demonisng your country.

If you have ever taken a step outside your country you would know that she is not doing you a favor....

But anything that makes Nigeria look bad is good for your kind so....

Even to drop a simple comment you couldn't do so without insults.

I will be in Nigeria for the next elections again.
That your leader will never be president. Not with dogs as supporters

You run to Nigeria every 4 years to vote misfits and then run back to a better, saner environment? Na your family members and relatives in Naija you dey punish oo.

Look at the calibre of people speaking truth to power lately: Adeleke, Davido, Tiwa, and Kemi.


Versus


The calibre of misfits motivating you with misgovernance: Rhino Mockery and Hellinues

BondRiv:
I have noticed she always uses Nigeria to navigate difficult subjects. So when they are brought up, she brings Nigeria into the conversation. Pathetic.

Same way Nigerian politicians use f 0 0 lish citizens to achieve their aims.

Keep it up, madam. Use your platform to expose those criminals in uniform. One of their senators has become a symbol of criminality and oppression in a UK prison, but na Kemi be their problem.