Senate Establishes Committee to Review Tax Reform Bills With AGF

The Senate on Wednesday formed a committee to evaluate the contentious tax reform legislation before the National Assembly.

The committee, led by Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), will meet with the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to discuss ambiguities in the legislation and report back to the Senate before the public hearing.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin announced this in plenary on Wednesday.

Barau, who presided over the session, stated that the executive branch of government agreed with the Senate that it is necessary to settle all concerns generating disputes in the bills.

Barau said: “We decided to put politics, ethnicity, and regionalism aside to sit among ourselves and find a way forward in respect to issues affecting the tax reform bills.” We communicated our views to the executive arm of government and obtained an agreement on the necessity for a forum to debate and resolve the areas of difference, assuring national unity in our problem-solving efforts.

Prior to the introduction of these legislation, we recognised that we were dealing with a variety of difficulties, including insecurity, which we and the president have been working to solve, and economic concerns that are consistent with global economic challenges. We also agreed that no one should worsen our country’s difficulties.

We, the executive, have decided to hold a forum with the Attorney General of the Federation. This forum will allow us to discuss all points of contention and develop solutions for the good of our country.

“It is thus recommended that tomorrow there will be a meeting with the committee that will be formed here to sit down with the Attorney General to discuss and settle those concerns. On this point, the Committee on Finance, to which the measures have been assigned, has been directed to postpone action on the public hearing and other concerns until we can settle them.

On October 3, 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent four tax reform measures to the National Assembly.

Since their presentation in the National Assembly, the proposed tax reform legislation have sparked widespread debate, with strong opposition coming from the country’s northern regions.

Following the controversy surrounding the legislation, the National Economic Council encouraged President Bola Tinubu to remove them to allow for more deliberations, but he refused, insisting that the laws proceed through the proper legislative processes.

The Senate approved the proposals for a second reading last week via voice vote.

The proposed legislation aims to harmonise, coordinate, and settle conflicts over revenue administration in Nigeria.