An attempt to increase the value added tax by 10 per cent as announced by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS recently will lead to high inflation, further currency devaluation and eventual serious economic losses, said some technology operators who spoke to Vanguard on the matter. According to them, the increase will not only hurt the economy but result to higher cost of living and more revenue losses for government. They argued that the best option would be to expand the tax net and increase revenue generation instead of compelling some honest enterprises that are already paying to pay more.

Meantime, there is palpable tension in Ogun State as the Tribunal on governorship elections sitting in Abeokuta, on Saturday granted an application by the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Gboyega Isiaka seeking to tender more exhibits against the victory of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of the All Progressives Congress.

THE Presidency in announcing that 10,000 more policemen and women are to be recruited, accompanied it with a warning that there must be no extortion of potential recruits. This is not only an indictment, but also a vote of no confidence in the police. The public Presidential warning, tears away at the self-esteem of the police.

An army is a nation within a nation…” Alfred De Vigny, 1797-1863. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 14). President Buhari will not probe Obasanjo’s government, not because it will constitute a distraction, as eager propagandists will like us to believe but because of the military tradition of esprit de corps. Once an officer was your superior officer in service, you don’t disgrace him in public. The rare exceptions occur when there is a coup arising out of disagreements among the officers.

National Pension Commission (PenCom) has issued draft guidelines on withdrawals from Retirement Saving Accounts (RSA) for equity payment of residential mortgage. This is contained in a document released by the commission on its website last week, the guidelines help to determine the eligibility requirements, procedures and documentation required to enable RSA contributors to access and utilise part of their RSA balances.