Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the National Assembly to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council on the Tax Reform Bills.
The bills which have generated controversies since it was sent to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu, passed for second reading at the Senate last week.
In a post on his X handle on Sunday, 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,” the post read in part.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, who said he has 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.
According to him, 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.”
NEC calls for withdrawal
The National Economic Council had advised President Tinubu to withdraw the bills after controversies that followed its introduction.
The bill was forwarded to NASS based on the report and recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reforms set up by the President to help boost revenue generation in the country.
However, NEC unanimously called for the withdrawal of the bill. They cited need for sufficient alignment between and amongst the stakeholders for the proposed reforms.
But President Tinubu said the document would not be withdrawn from the National Assembly. He rather explained that the bills should go through the legislative process.
‘Suspicious rush to pass bill’
One of the strongest figures opposed to the Tax Reform Bills is Senator Ali Ndume, who has continuously called for its withdrawal.
Following the passage of the bills for second reading at the Senate last week, Ndume wondered why there is a rush to pass the bills. He urged President Tinubu to take NEC’s advice to withdraw the bills.
“It is not that I am totally saying that we should throw away the baby with the bath water, but since the governors who are our leaders, the National Economic Council and many individuals have said that it is not that we should throw away the bills, no. Withdraw the bill, do more consultations and then bring the bill again. Why are they in a hurry? That is a big suspicion, Ndume said.