The Federal Government says it has no plan to lay off government workers.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed,
however refuted those assertions that the government is planning on
sacking workers in to save funds. She also explained that President
Muhammadu Buhari had frequently said that no worker would be sacked.
Zainab however, said the government would encourage people to leave
government jobs by giving them incentives, adding that the government
would reduce overheads by ensuring that government agencies are
merged.
The Minister also announced that the Federal Government has plans to
increase the rate of Value Added Tax paid by Nigerians. The move is
coming just two years after the government increased VAT from five per
cent to 7.5 per cent.
Zainab, who was speaking on measures being adopted by the government
to shore up revenue, said there was a need for the government to generate
more tax revenue, adding that at 7.5 per cent, Nigeria has the lowest VAT
rate in the African region.
