Major contenders for governor in Lagos State’s elections in 2023 yesterday released their platforms while denouncing several taxes that they claimed were killing off businesses.It occurred during a meeting with the private sector that the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized (LCCI).
While Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of the state and the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was not present, the PDP’s Dr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (JANDOR), the candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Funsho Doherty, were.The simplicity of doing business in the state, particularly for start-ups, would be improved, according to Jandor, who also pledged to eliminate various taxes.
He said that by removing multiple taxation, he would stop the current trend where businesses were relocating out of the state.“We will create hubs in all the five divisions in Lagos by encouraging the younger people to realise their potentials,” he said.The LP governorship candidate pointed out that the state had accumulated a huge debt while reiterating that Lagos’ progress was not commensurate with the N50 billion in internal revenue (IGR) generated on a monthly basis.He declared that the higher-than-average unemployment rate of 37% was unacceptable and pledged to reduce certain levies that he claimed affected Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).
The ADC candidate for governor also spoke, promising to end the secrecy surrounding the management of the state’s revenue and to prohibit the consultant from siphoning off a portion of the IGR.”Lagos may be working for a few, but not for most Lagosians,” he declared. Lagos is organized in a manner that results in a larger concentration of wealth in a smaller area.The LCCI, through its Vice President, Mr Gabriel Idahosa, said the forum was organised to know the plans of the governorship candidates to address issues of insecurity, unemployment, poor road network, among others.
