The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), has assured Nigerians that the National Assembly will pass the Tax Reform Bills despite resistance from various quarters.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Monday, Dickson likened the fate of the tax bills to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which was passed despite widespread debates.
President Bola Tinubu had, on October 3, 2024, transmitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly.
In a letter read during separate plenaries by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajuddeen Abbas, Tinubu described the bills as pivotal to bolstering Nigeria’s fiscal institutions and aligning with his administration’s broader development objectives.
The proposed reforms, however, have faced significant pushback from governors, traditional rulers, civil society organizations, and even some federal lawmakers, who argue that the bills could adversely affect certain regions and economic sectors.
Despite the opposition, the Senate passed the bills for a second reading last week, while the House of Representatives is yet to take further action.
Senator Dickson dismissed concerns that the planned public hearing on the bills might be chaotic due to inadequate consultations. He encouraged those opposed to the reforms to seize the opportunity to present their facts.
The former Governor of Bayelsa State said, “The PIA was passed. We wanted 10% which was what Yar’adua proposed. They (federal lawmakers) reduced it to 3%. Heaven did not fall. This tax reform bills will pass and heavens will not fall.
“The Senate has passed the bills for second reading. Public hearing will take place and people should get ready to present their positions. The tax bill is a proposed law like every other and it has to go through the normal legislative process.
“Right now, taxes from Bayelsa State are paid to Lagos State and I don’t want that to continue. When there is consumption of any goods or services from any state it should be calculated and paid to that state.
“Now there is an opportunity to review the tax laws, to correct the anomalies and that is why I’m in support. I know there are states that are feeling that when they apply the new sharing formula, they will earn less. It’s for them to raise those issues and bring the statistics. I don’t go by sentiments. I go by what is right and in the national interest.”