South-West, northern groups fault tax reform bills

• Chide Kano lawmaker over support
A South-West socio-political group, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, yesterday, said the Tax Reform Bills have trappings that would only benefit the drafters, not Nigeria. 

The President of the forum, Akin Malaolu, said that the group has observed the hoopla that greeted the tax reform bills, submitted by the executive arm, which was rejected by the National Economic Council (NEC), asking the President to withdraw them.  

It said the presidency’s reactions to the rejection of the NEC’s advisory was also concerning.
The statement reads: “As a leading leadership forum, we have done a critical analysis of the bills and we think that the entire tax reform bills should be suspended or reviewed by the executive arm and not the National Assembly. We equally noticed in the bills some trappings.”

The forum noted that the tax reform bills came at a time the Nation is suffering from reversed growth in the area of industrialisation, energy threats, floating of the naira, as well as lack of critical export platforms needed for forex inflows.  

“These critical economic infrastructures are expected to be put in forward motions, which will essentially create the enabling environment to measure subsequent economic developments across the country.”

The forum also observed that the tax reform bills have several trappings which made them to look more like what is operational in Lagos State.  

ALSO, the Northern Youth Assembly, yesterday, condemned House of Representatives member, Abdulmumin Jibrin, representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, for endorsing the controversial tax reform bill.

The former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation allegedly provoked the Assembly during a recent TV interview, where he was reported to have outrightly endorsed the “anti-North tax reform bill.”

A statement signed by Mohammed Hussaini Bauchi, the National Assistant Publicity Secretary, on behalf of the leadership of the Assembly from the 19 Northern states, expressed disappointment over the lawmaker’s stance on issues that would allegedly further “relegate the region economically and commercially.”

The Assembly stressed that Jibrin has publicly supported the proposed tax reform bill introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as an ultimate display of disrespect to his constituents, the people of Kano State, and the Northern Nigeria as a whole.