The South East Caucus in Senate on Monday joined groups of stakeholders in the polity calling for wider consultations on the Tax Reform Bills pending for consideration and possible passage by both Chambers of the National Assembly.
The leader of the caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA Abia South), stated this to newsmen after closed door meeting Senators from the entire five South Eastern states held in his office.
Abaribe at the media briefing, said Senators from the South East, are not against the bills but want wider consultations to be carried out on them before full consideration at both chambers.
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“As much as the entire Senators from South East are not against the Tax Reform Bills before both chambers of the National Assembly for consideration, we want wider consultations to be carried out on them.
“Specifically, we need to consult with our constituents across the 15 Senatorial Districts in the zone, with our state governments and other critical stakeholders.
“We have read through the bills and want to share our knowledge with other stakeholders from the South East zone for much more equitable framework in the bills that would eventually be passed.
“We are not against the bills, but need to consult with our people,” he stressed.
Recall that the Tax Reforms Bills which entails Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024; Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 2024; Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024 and Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024; have generated controversies in the polity since October 3, 2024 , when President Bola Tinubu forwarded them to both the Senate and the House of Representatives for consideration.
While the Presidency, the South South caucus in the Senate are calling for immediate consideration of the bills, other stakeholders in the polity like the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the Northern Senators, Arewa Consultative Forum, etc want wider consultations.