By Ken Chiwendu
The South East Caucus in the Senate has called for broader consultations on the Tax Reform Bills currently before the National Assembly for consideration
The Leader of the Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), made this known on Monday during a press briefing after a closed-door meeting with senators from the five South Eastern states in his office.
Abaribe explained that while the South East senators are not opposed to the bills, they are advocating for wider consultations with their constituents and key stakeholders before a final decision is made in both chambers of the National Assembly.
“While we are not against the Tax Reform Bills currently before both chambers of the National Assembly, we believe wider consultations must be carried out,”
Abaribe also stated “We have carefully reviewed the bills and feel it is essential to share our insights with stakeholders in the South East to ensure a more equitable framework in the eventual legislation. This is about ensuring that the bills serve all Nigerians fairly, particularly our region,”
The Tax Reform Bills include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 2024, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill 2024, and the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill 2024. These bills, submitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu on October 3, 2024, have sparked widespread debate across the country.
The introduction of the Bills has attracted positive and negative criticism across party and regional lines.While the presidency and the South-South Caucus in the Senate have called for the ’ swift consideration of the bills,other groups, such as the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the Northern Senators’ Forum, and the Arewa Consultative Forum, have echoed the South East Caucus’ demand for wider consultations.
