SDP governorship candidate in Cross River to rejig tax administration to impact purchasing power of citizens, sustain and attract foreign investments
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship candidate for the 2023 general elections in Cross River State, Mr. Effiom Okokon has vowed to overhaul the current taxation system in the state for economic development.
Okokon disclosed this on Sunday during a press conference held at NUJ Press Centre in Calabar, Capital of Cross River State where he released a six-point development agenda to reposition the state as a tourism destination and business hub.
The governorship candidate who is an ex-banker and economist blamed the huge collapse of micro, small and medium–scale businesses in Cross River State to an excessive tax regime by the current administration and promised to reverse it if voted into office in 2023.
He said many companies in Cross River State have winded down and left due to increasing tax burden and assured citizens that SDP leadership would overhaul the system in a way that the people will have more money to spend thereby energising the prosperity of the people.
He explained further that putting in place a friendly tax system would encourage companies to stay as well as attract direct foreign investments which impact on employment of the locals.
Speaking on strategies to revitalize the dwindling purchasing power of the people, the SDP gubernatorial candidate said he is prepared to tackle sectoral challenges in the health, education, tourism, transportation, agriculture, and infrastructural decay to impact positive turn-around of the States economy.
Okokon vowed to inject new funds into the system to rejig services and production similar to the Florida experience in the USA where revenue is generated from Tourism value chains like Travel and hospitality sectors.
He eulogized the efforts of Nigerian women in the international space like the exploits of the Director General of the World Trade Organization-WTO-Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi-Iweala, the globally recognized Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie as well as a former NAFDAC Director General and Minister of Information and Communication late Dora Akunyili, the late Margret Ekpo, and others.
He said he plans to engage more women in his administration and also use the occasion to urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to put holistic efforts in place to check incidences of vote buying during the 2023 elections to ensure credible and more acceptable winners emerge from the polls.
By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)
