From Victor Osula, Abuja
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has urged Nigerians to be fair in their judgement of President Bola Tinubu’s proposed Tax Reforms Bills.
Dogara spoke at a Special Town Hall on the Tax Reform Bills on Channels Television on Monday.
President Tinubu had on October 13, transmitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration, following the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reforms, headed by Taiwo Oyedele, for the review of existing tax laws.
The four bills include: ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish the Joint Revenue Board, the Tax Appeal Tribunal and the Office of the Tax Ombudsman for the harmonisation, coordination, and settlement of disputes arising from revenue administration in Nigeria and for related matters, 2024’; ‘A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, No.13, 2007 and enact the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act to Establish the Nigeria Revenue Service, charged with powers of assessment, collection of, and accounting for revenue accruable to the Government of the Federation, and for related matters, 2024’; ‘A Bill for an Act to Provide for the assessment, collection of, and accounting for revenue accruing to the Federation, Federal, States, and Local Governments; prescribe the powers and functions of tax authorities, and for related matters, 2024’ and ‘A Bill for an Act to Repeal certain Acts on taxation and consolidate the legal frameworks relating to taxation and enact the Nigeria Tax Act to provide for taxation of income, transactions, and instruments, and for related matters, 2024.”
Faulting the criticisms of the bills amid opposition by northern governors and other stakeholders against the tax bills, Dogara called on Nigerians to critically examine their benefits.
According to him, “The cap on regionalism should be removed, the cap on sectionalism, the cap on religion, and the cap on leadership should be placed because that is what will resolve the conflict about the bill.
“But in leadership, when you talk about timing, the way I have heard them talk about is a tragic misconception of the notion of time itself because there’s nothing like the future, there’s nothing like the past.
“All we have is now. It is what you are doing now that will become your past. It is what you are doing now that will affect your future.
“I don’t even care if it was part of the president’s agenda. All I am bothered with as a leader is: is it the right thing?
“Secondly, I have heard about insufficient consultation. I had heard even legislators speaking as if they were spokespersons for some governors’ forum or others instead of looking at what is right and proffering solutions.”
