Major governorship candidates for the 2023 elections in Lagos State yesterday unveiled their agenda to the business community in the state as they decried multiple taxation that they described as killing businesses.
It was at a session with the private sector organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
While the state’s governor and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was absent, the PDP governorship candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (JANDOR); his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour; and that of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Funsho Doherty, attended the session.
Jandor said he would eliminate multiple taxation and touting and improve the ease of doing business in the state, especially for start-ups.
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He said by eliminating 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, who reiterated that Lagos’ development was not commensurate with the N50bn monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), noted that the state had amassed a huge debt.
He said the 37 per cent unemployment rate, which was higher than the national average, was unacceptable, promising to also eliminate multiple taxes which he said were affecting Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).
Also speaking, the governorship candidate of ADC vowed to stop the opacity in the management of the state’s revenue, saying the consultant taking a chunk of the IGR would be stopped.
He said, “Lagos may be working for a few, but not for the majority of Lagosians. Lagos is run in a way that there is greater concentration of wealth in a few people.”
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.
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