State governors still divided over Tax Reforms Bills

Nigeria Governors’ Forum

State governors still divided over Tax Reforms Bills

STRONG indications have emerged that the 36 state governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, are sharply divided over the Tax Reforms Bills pending before the Senate and the House of Representatives for consideration as forwarded by President Bola Tinubu.

Recall that the governors have, for weeks, been confronted with the tax reform bills, just as the bills have been engulfed in controversy” criticisms and stiff opposition from many quarters.

The Northern 19 governors had also rejected sections of the bills as they called for its withdrawal from the National Assembly to allow for further consultations.

The National Economic Council, NEC, chaired by the Vice President and composed of the 36 governors and some ministers, had earlier rejected the bills.

It was clear on Wednesday night when the governors had an unusual very short meeting that lasted one hour as they rushed out of the meeting without a communique and refused to address the waiting journalists at the entrance of venue of the meeting that all did not go well.

The governors after about one hour of the meeting at Lake Chad Crescent, the Secretariat of the NGF, came out with sealed lips without the usual smiles and exchange of banters, except that some walked together in line with states of origin.

The meeting started at 10p.m. and ended at 11p.m.

Journalists had expected either a release of a communique or to be addressed by the Chairman of NGF and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who would have been flanked by the Chairman of Progressives Governors, Senator Hope Uzodimma or in the alternative, Chairman of NGF, Alhaji Abdulateef Shittu.

At the end of the day, the waiting journalists left the place at about 11p.m., as nobody had addressed them.

ACF constitutes committee to study tax reform bills

This came as Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, yesterday, announced the constitution of a committee to study the tax reform bills and make appropriate recommendations to the Federal Government.

In a statement, Tukur Muhammad-Baba, spokesperson of ACF, said the current debates suggest that there were not enough consultations in preparing the bills.

He called on all concerned stakeholders to cooperate with the relevant senate committee charged with the assignment to review the content of the bills.

Muhammad-Baba said opposing views against the bills were essential inputs into the policy process, adding that decorum and mutual respect should be honoured in the discussions of provisions of the proposed laws.