Joseph Odok|21 August 2015|5:33am
Some over zealous media men of the governor of Cross River State have began counting tax cut for low income earners as one of the achievements of the current administration. This is not only misleading but a clear sign of lack of policy direction and a sure sign of ineptitude by the government media men. It is pitiable that media has become an organ of government in Cross River State. Media is given a prime place over and above a constitutionally recognized arm of government like the Judiciary that remains under lock and key for months now.
It is worthy of note that a governor cannot make tax laws. The function of law making is a constitutional duty of the Legislature. It is not the duty of the Executive to enact any law, the governor can only send a proposal for tax reduction to the legislature which the legislature must deliberate on and pass if it so deem fit.
At one point the governor boasted that the Legislature as led by Speaker John Gaul Lebo are 100% PDP and will hopefully do his bidding. This is the highest insult in recent times to the autonomy granted the legislature by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is an act of pomposity for the Executive to begin taking glory for an enactment of a cut in tax for law income citizens. This duty properly belongs to the legislatures. It is misleading for Crossriverians to be made to believe that there is a new tax cut when a process for the repeal of the former is yet to kick start.
A process for the amendment of any law must follow due process. A proposal coming from the governor must be translated to the legislature. The legislature by the nature of their autonomy as constitutionally guaranteed are not duty bound to pass all proposals from the executive arm of government. Therefore, it is not only misleading but a great act of illegality with impeachable consequences for any executive to claim any enactment of a tax law. The governor media team must henceforth stop playing on the intelligence of gullible Crossriverians.
