Tax Reform Bills Dead On Arrival – Ndume Dares Tinubu

The lawmaker representing Borno South in the National Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume, has sharply criticized the recent tax reform bills submitted by President Bola Tinubu, describing them as “dead on arrival.”

The seasoned lawmaker urged Tinubu to heed the recommendations of the National Economic Council (NEC) and the Northern Governors’ Forum, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the bills.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Tuesday, Ndume expressed his disapproval, emphasizing that the legislative arm sees no need to study the bills further.

“If it goes on like that, I can tell you that it will be dead on arrival. We don’t need to study the bill,” he said.

Ndume, known for his outspoken and often unconventional views, argued that the government should focus on alleviating the tax burden on Nigerians instead of proposing increases.

The tax reform bills have sparked significant debate, with critics contending that additional taxes could worsen the economic challenges many Nigerians currently face.

He said, “The general thing is that Nigerians are not willing to talk about or pay any tax now considering the (economic) situation we are in now.

“Nigerians are willing to pay taxes but they can only pay taxes when they can afford it. Right now, people are struggling to survive. Let people live first before you start asking them for taxes.”

The senator said “it will be fair to shut the bill down, it is the fairest thing to do”, indicating that he has started campaigning against the bills among his colleagues and he is getting good support to throw out the bills.

Ndume, who is in the President’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the Tinubu administration needs to reform itself and not increase taxes paid by Nigerians.

He said, “What he (Tinubu) needs to do is to withdraw the bill, educate Nigerians and make us understand it. We are representing the people and the people that we are representing have already spoken.

“The governors, the traditional rulers have said that the bill is not good. So, the best thing to do is to immediately withdraw it.

“Right now, what our people are saying is that they don’t want VAT bill, they don’t even want to hear about it. That is why we are going to make it dead on arrival.”