President Bola Tinubu has been urged to reduce the value-added tax from 7.5% to 5% by September 2023 by the Accelerate Disability Inclusion in Emergencies Forum.
According to ADIE, stopping new taxes, tariffs, and fees from being implemented as well as potential hikes to current ones will raise Nigerians’ purchasing power, especially that of those with disabilities.
The price of premium motor spirit, also known as fuel, increased significantly after the Federal Government ended its subsidies on May 29, 2023.
According to the group, the removal of fuel subsidies had put Nigerians through severe financial hardship, especially vulnerable groups including women, young people, and people with disabilities, who together made up more than 80% of the estimated 216 million people who called the country home.
At a press conference held on Monday in Abuja, the group, led by its chairman, Grace Jerry, and vice-chairman, Christian Agbo, pleaded with the president to ensure that the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act was fully implemented, particularly the 5% employment quota for PWDs.
Jerry’s speech, which focused on the detrimental effects of the Federal Government’s policy of eliminating fuel subsidies on Nigerians, particularly PWDs, stated that “the Federal Government should reverse the Value Added Tax from 7.5% to 5% by September 2023 and stop further increases in existing taxes, tariffs, and duties, as well as the introduction of new ones, for the next year to increase the purchasing power of Nigerians, especially PWDs.”
“The Federal Government should make sure that the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act is fully implemented, especially the 5% employment quota for PWDs, and it should encourage employers in the public and private sectors to implement workforce inclusion initiatives for people with disabilities, such as work-from-home options, flexible schedules, accessible workplaces, etc.
