The African Action Congress (AAC) has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of deepening poverty in Nigeria through what it described as altered and regressive tax laws, alleging that the changes amount to a deliberate attempt to shift economic hardship onto ordinary citizens.
In a press statement issued on Sunday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rex I. Elanu, the opposition party said the Tinubu-led government was escalating what it termed “economic violence” against Nigerians already grappling with poverty, insecurity and poor governance.
The AAC alleged that the tax changes, which followed the presentation of an original tax reform document to the National Assembly, were neither genuine reforms nor efforts at modernisation, but a calculated move to extract more revenue from a suffering population while shielding the political elite.
According to the party, Nigeria’s tax system has long been unjust, with citizens compelled to pay taxes despite the absence of basic dividends of governance.
“There is no security. Citizens are kidnapped, murdered and displaced daily. There is no welfare; millions survive without social protection amid rising unemployment and hunger,” the statement read.
“There is no infrastructure. Roads are death traps, power supply is epileptic, healthcare and education are in ruins. Yet taxes are relentlessly collected, as if Nigerians are beneficiaries of a functional state.”
The AAC argued that rather than addressing these systemic failures, President Tinubu had chosen to worsen the situation by altering tax laws to impose heavier burdens on workers, traders, artisans, students and small business owners.
The party further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plunging Nigeria into unsustainable debt and attempting to transfer the cost of what it described as elite corruption, waste and mismanagement to ordinary Nigerians through increased taxation.
“Instead of addressing this historic injustice, Bola Tinubu has chosen to worsen it,” the AAC said, adding that the administration was “squeezing more blood from a suffering population while protecting and enriching the same ruling class that has looted the country dry.”
Rejecting claims that higher taxes would lead to development, the party insisted that taxation without tangible benefits amounted to “organised extortion.”
“You cannot tax people into prosperity when they have no jobs, no security and no social safety nets,” the statement said.
The AAC called for an immediate suspension of all regressive tax measures, urging the government to adopt people-centred economic policies that prioritise job creation, living wages, security, healthcare, education and infrastructure before imposing additional tax burdens.
The party also demanded full transparency and accountability in public finance, including a forensic audit of Nigeria’s rising debts and the utilisation of borrowed funds.
Reiterating its position, the AAC said Nigeria’s core challenge was not inadequate taxation but a crisis of leadership, vowing to continue opposing what it described as anti-people policies while mobilising citizens for systemic change.
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