Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has clarified that governors of the 36 states are not against the Tax Reform Bills.
The governor made the clarification while speaking during a Channels Television Townhall on the Tax Reform Bills on Monday.
Governor Sule explained that the governors only wanted to get clarifications in some areas.
The governor commended the bills but stated that there were questions that needed answers. He cited the issue of increasing the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 20 per cent to 60 per cent at the point of generation, which he noted has now been changed to include consumption as well.
Governor Sule emphasized that the governors were not opposed to the bills but rather wanted to understand them better. “The governors said, why don’t you withdraw the bills, let us discuss it, let us understand it,” he said.
The governor also noted that the Townhall meeting organized by Channels Television was part of the events that should have happened before the bills were sent to the National Assembly. According to him, if Taiwo Oyedele’s Tax Reform Committee had taken the time to properly explain the bills, there would have been no need for the governors to call for their withdrawal.
Responding to Governor Sule’s comments, Taiwo Oyedele, chair of the tax reform committee, thanked the governor and the Governors’ Forum for their feedback. Oyedele explained that calling for a series of meetings with the governors would have delayed the bills. He noted that the committee had tried to engage Nigerians on the bills, but people did not show much interest.
However, Oyedele stated that the committee is ready to repeat some of the processes and explain things further now that it seems like people have become interested in the bills.
The proposed Tax Reform Bills have generated a lot of controversy since their introduction at the National Assembly. They have been met with serious resistance, especially from the Northern part of the country.
Following the controversies surrounding the bills, the National Economic Council had advised President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the bills to allow for further consultations. However, the president refused, stating that the bills should go through the necessary legislative processes.
Last week, the bills were passed by the Senate for a second reading.
