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Reduce NASS members to cut governance cost, CNPP tells FG

By Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna
10 October 2019   |   2:07 am
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the Federal Government to immediately reduce the number of representatives from each state in the National Assembly, to cut down the cost of governance.


The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the Federal Government to immediately reduce the number of representatives from each state in the National Assembly, to cut down the cost of governance.CNPP stated yesterday that the call was in support of the recent statement by the former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, on the high cost of governance in Nigeria.

Besides, the Secretary General of CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu, also supported the bill for a law to impose a communication service tax meant to replace the Federal Government’s proposed increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT), describing it as less burdensome on the masses.

According to the CNPP, the bill tagged ‘Communication Service Tax Bill, 2019’ sponsored by former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, is a lesser evil compared to the impact of a 2.5 per cent increase in VAT, which will raise payable VAT to 7.5 per cent. “For us, the bill proposing levy on electronic communication services like voice calls, Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), data usage and pay television stations is a lesser evil. The impact on the ordinary citizens will be less burdensome than the proposed 7.5 per cent VAT the Federal Government wants to slam on the already impoverished masses of Nigeria.

“We totally agree with Senator Ndume that the bill would rather enhance distribution of wealth where ordinary Nigerians would benefit than impoverish the masses the more, as VAT increment will not only affect the economy negatively but will further reduce the purchasing power of the poorest of Nigerians,” the CNPP observed.

On the proposed reduction of the number of legislative representatives at the National Assembly, the CNPP affirmed that Okorocha was telling the truth when he canvassed one senator from a state at the legislative chamber.

“Like Senator Okorocha said, what is too sacrosanct that senators and House of Representatives members were doing that a senator per state can not do? “We therefore urge Okorocha to urgently sponsor a bill for the amendment of relevant sections of the constitution in line with his thoughts to conserve funds for capital projects to the benefit of poor Nigerians,” it added.

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