Mary Onyia
The upper chamber of the National Assembly has decided to suspend further legislative actions on the contentious tax reform bills following objections by some Nigerians opposed to the bill in a bid to address areas of dispute contained therein.
This is coming just as the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly also caved in to pressure, Wednesday, and reversed its decision to carry out a public hearing on the bills. To this end, it inaugurated a 10-man committee to meet with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on ways to resolve contentious issues in the bills.
The Senate asked its committee on finance to stop further action on the tax bills that passed for a second reading last week.
This was made known by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, on Wednesday during the plenary session.
The Senate Minority Leader, Abbah Moro, will chair the committee that will liaise with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to eliminate the contentious clauses in the tax bills.
Other members of the committee are Adamu Aliero Orji Kalu, Seriake Dickson, Titus Zam (Benue South), Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi), Adeola Olamilekan, Sani Musa and Adetokunbo Abiru.
Barau said: “On the tax reform bills currently before us, we acknowledge that the Senate remains the highest legislative assembly in this country.
Barau said: “On the tax reform bills currently before us, we acknowledge that the Senate remains the highest legislative assembly in this country.
“The Senate comprises men and women of wisdom and experience, entrusted to legislate for the peace, stability, and development of the nation.
“The Senate like similar bodies globally, serves as a stabilizing force in times of difficulty or disagreement. Through dialogue and consensus, the Senate has consistently provided solutions to
national challenges since 1999.
“In this regard, we have decided to set aside politics, ethnicity, and regionalism to work together on resolving the issues surrounding the tax reform bills.
“In collaboration with the executive arm of government, we agreed to establish a forum to identify and address contentious areas to ensure national unity and progress”, adding that the Attorney General of the Federation will be involved to assist in identifying and resolving areas of disagreement for the nation’s benefit.
He concluded by saying that the committee established by the Senate, along with its leadership, will meet with the Attorney General to address these issues before any further actions are taken.
Recall that leaders in some sections of the nation had denounced the haste with which the government is pushing the tax bill without wide consultations to clarify and address some grey areas.
The critics have also picked holes in the derivative clause in the Value Added Tax sharing formula, which they say needed some slight adjustments. Notable among the critics is Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, who repeatedly had in various press statements urged the North to reject the bill, claiming that it was not favourable to the North.