By Abiola Olawale
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has joined the heated debate surrounding the tax reform bills proposed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Atiku, who took to his official X handle, called on the National Assembly to thoroughly review the tax reform bills before passing them.
The former Vice President also pointed out that the resolutions made by the National Economic Council (NEC) on the tax reform bills should be examined by the National Assembly before taking any conclusive decision.
According to him, the most important issue is that the contents of the Bills align with the interests of most Nigerians.
He wrote: “I call on the NASS to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council, a key stakeholder and an important organ of the state with the constitutional power to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation. The NASS must be appropriately guided and ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the Bills align with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians.
“I call for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by our representatives in the National Assembly. As a concerned stakeholder, I firmly believe that transparency and objectivity are essential for promoting accountability, good governance, and public trust in policy-making.
“The public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organizations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.”
It would be recalled that after Tinubu sent the tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration, the NEC demanded the immediate withdrawal of the bills.
The NEC cited the need for sufficient alignment between and amongst the stakeholders for the proposed reforms.
However, Tinubu maintained that the proposed bills would not be withdrawn from the National Assembly. He rather explained that the bills should go through the legislative process.
