Politics
PROF Benard Odoh, Ebonyi Gubernatorial Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), says he will offer tax holiday to new ventures into the state if elected in 2023.
Odoh made the pledge while speaking with newsmen in Abakaliki on Tuesday.
stating that huge tax imposition could retard growth of small scale businesses and cripple the economy.
The candidate stressed that the proper thing to do to allow businesses to grow was to cut down taxes imposed on small and medium enterprises.
“If elected into power in 2023 as governor, I will reduce tax on business. In fact, the proper thing to do is to give tax holiday to new ventures to come in and set up their businesses.
“Allow them like one or two years to stabilize before imposing taxes. When I become the governor, our tax is going to be properly harmonized.
“We will not over tax people, we will not double tax people. Small scale businesses all over the world is the most rapid way to pull people out of poverty.
“I have talked, consistently, about ease of doing business; where someone comes to do business and all he ends up seeing is losing money because of the hostility of the environment.
”We are going to create a conducive environment for investors,” Odoh added.
The APGA candidate said he would do everything possible to pull the people out of poverty, boost education and healthcare.
“My contenders are issues surrounding accountability, issues on peace of the state. If I am able to successfully deliver key governance solutions that address these needs, I think my job would have been done.
”So, those issues are my contenders not the people who are in the party.
“PDP and APC are not my contenders, let us all stick to the issues, let Ebonyi people hear us and know what are our plans on issues that cut across all sectors.
“Today, 82. 5 per cent of Ebonyi people are unemployed and that is about 2.4 million people of the state are unemployed,” the candidate explained.
Odoh pointed out that his first major hurdle would be on job creations for the people.
According to him, unemployment constitutes the communal crisis, and other crimes witnessing across state.
“You know you can easily convert a hungry man into thuggery. A man who is hungry is vulnerable, he can be used for all kind of evil.
“When I become the Governor, I can’t be interested in who is a town union president in the village, who will be Student Union Government (SUG) President, who is the Chairman of Okada riders or Chairman of bus drivers.
“The first question is how do we pull this people out of poverty?,” he noted. (NAN)
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Tags: APC APGA PDP Prof Benard Odoh
