A group, the Northern Star Youth Empowerment Initiative (NSYEI), has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately withdraw the Tax Reform Bills from the National Assembly, and allow for more consultations by Nigerians, warning that the North would vehemently oppose their passage.
In a statement yesterday in Kaduna, NSYEI’s Director-General, Dr Abdullahi Idris, said after studying the contentious pieces of legislation, members of the group have come to the conclusion that though there were some beneficial aspects, other sections, especially those that deal with the distribution of VAT revenue were “unfair and will lead to economic adversity for the North.” Idris, therefore, called on the Federal Government to urgently withdraw the bills.
The group wondered why there were no enough consultations before the tax bills were presented to the National Assembly, urging “members of the National Assembly, especially those from the North not to endorse them, lest they will incur the wrath of their people.”
IN a related development, a Professor of Constitutional Law and Legislative Studies, Ali Ahmad, has criticised the country’s existing tax regime, which he argued, promotes mistrust and undermines democratic essence.
The Speaker of the Eighth Kwara State House of Assembly, yesterday in his keynote address at the strategic media seminar, jointly organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Sobi FM, Ilorin, and the Nigerian Media Parliament (NMP), also charged the media to bridge the seeming gap between the government’s tax administration and the citizenry.
Speaking on the theme: ‘The role of media in promoting transparency and accountability in tax reformation legislation’, the don submitted that Nigeria was at a taxation crossroads.
He described taxation as the backbone of any nation’s development, noting: “It is the lifeblood that finances public infrastructure, education, healthcare, security, and countless other aspects of governance. Yet, taxation often encounters resistance, misconceptions by the people and mismanagement by the government, leading to erosion of public trust.
“This is where the media comes in, as both a watchdog and a bridge between lawmakers and the public.”
According to Ahmad, the citizenry can only be eager to pay taxes if they are carried along in administration and policies.
Consequently, he suggested consistent public hearings by legislators to seek inputs of Nigerians before passing any bill. The don added: “In almost all cases, however, taxation legislation is one area that government and the citizens disagree naturally. The government wants more money, citizens decry parting with more of their funds. This is where media practitioners should perform the most important role,” urging the media to parley with the populace rather than the government.
He urged the media to scrutinise the implementation of tax policies and hold government officials accountable for any malpractices.
