Former Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has reiterated his call for the withdrawal of the Tax Reform Bills currently before the Senate.
According to Ndume, the bills need to be withdrawn to allow for wider consultations and necessary adjustments.
Ndume dismissed claims that northern Nigeria is parasitic, emphasizing that all regions of the country are interdependent and need each other to thrive.
He argued that the current tax reforms would disproportionately affect low- and middle-income Nigerians, regardless of their region.
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The senator also criticized the timing of the bill, citing the current economic hardship faced by Nigerians. He warned that passing the bill in its current form would exacerbate the economic situation.
Ndume, who was recently removed as Senate Chief Whip for his outspokenness on national issues, advocated for prudent management of public resources.
He urged the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to focus on expanding the tax net and increasing accountability and transparency.
Furthermore, Ndume called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that commercial banks, which declare huge profits annually, pay their fair share of taxes.
The Tax Reform Bills, part of President Bola Tinubu’s comprehensive tax reform package, propose the establishment of the Joint Revenue Board, the Tax Appeal Tribunal, and the Office of the Tax Ombudsman.
However, Ndume expressed concerns about the bills, citing issues such as wrong timing, derivation, Value Added Tax, and lack of consensus among Nigerians.
Ndume emphasized the need for holistic reform of the government, rather than just the executive arm.
He noted that the current personnel and overhead expenditure for 2024 accounts for 50-60% of the budget, with over 15-20 trillion naira going into personnel, debt servicing, and recurrent expenditure.
“The North is not a parasite or dependent on any region or the country,” Ndume said. “We are assets, not liabilities, to Nigeria.”