The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele has said that the popular “let the poor breathe” quote of President Bola Tinubu means more than what people might think.
OsunDailyNG recalls that the President first delivered the now-famous phase in May, during a tour of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking on the popular phrase, Oyedele, who was inaugurated in August by Tinubu to head the tax committee said that people do not appreciate the importance of the statement.
He lamented that the reality in the country is that things are really tough.
The tax committee chair added that subsidy removal suggests the majority of people living in poverty are not having it easy and that the impact of the exchange rate harmonization may be greater than the impact of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy.
According to him, “I think that statement, ‘Let the poor breathe’ — sometimes people don’t appreciate how important it is. Unfortunately, sometimes, people say it like it is a joke or just a cliche, but the reality is that things are tough.
“When things are “hard” for the middle class and the elite, they cut down on savings and investments, but they still meet their basic needs.
“For the poorest people, what they have to cut down from is three meals – if they are lucky, it’s two. Some were doing two, so it’s down to one; some were doing one, now there is a reduced portion.
“Some will withdraw their kids from school, some will not be able to get medical treatment. I am talking about paracetamol to fight malaria. We removed subsidy from fuel and you would have noticed that traffic is light.”
