Atiku Advises National Assembly on Controversial Tax Reform Bills

President Bola Tinubu in September transmitted four tax bills to the parliament for approval. These are the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill.

The bills, which have generated controversies since they were forwarded to the legislative arm of government, passed for the second reading at the Senate last week.

In a post on his X handle on Sunday, Mr Atiku said that the National Assembly must be guided appropriately to ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the Bills align with the interests of most Nigerians.

“I call on the NASS to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council, a key stakeholder and an important organ of the state with the constitutional power to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation.

“The NASS must be appropriately guided and ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the Bills align with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians,” ... read in part.

Mr Atiku, who was the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, said he had followed the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills with keen interest, noted that Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity.

He said Nigerians are “loud and clear that the fiscal system we seek to promote must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.”

He also called on the House of Representatives to be objective and transparent in the conduct of its public hearing on the Tax Reform Bills.

“I call for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by our representatives in the National Assembly. As a concerned stakeholder, I firmly believe that transparency and objectivity are essential for promoting accountability, good governance, and public trust in policy-making.

“The public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organizations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts,” he stated.