By Kolawole Ojebisi
The House Of Representatives has postponed its special session on tax reform bills initially scheduled to be held on Tuesday, December 3.
The green chamber cited the need for further and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders as the reason for the development.
This development is contained in a memo issued on Saturday, by the clerk of House of Representatives, Yahaya Danzana.
According to the memo, a new date will be communicated to lawmakers.
“I am directed by the House Leadership to inform all Honourable Members that the Special Session, initially scheduled for Tuesday, 3rd December, 2024, to discuss all the Tax Reform Bills, has been postponed to a later date,” the memo reads.
“This rescheduling is due to the need for further and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
“A new date and venue for the session will be communicated in due course. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding”.
Recall that the tax reform bills passed second reading at the Senate on Thursday.
Also recall that on October 3, President Bola Tinubu requested the national assembly to consider and pass four tax reform bills.
On October 28, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) opposed the bills, saying the proposed legislations would harm the region’s interests.
The governors urged the national assembly to reject the bills, demanding equitable and fair implementation of national policies and programmes across all regions.
The national economic council (NEC) also advised Tinubu to withdraw the bills to give room for consultations.
On November 1, Tinubu said the bills will not be withdrawn from the national assembly, noting that the proposed bills were designed to improve the lives of Nigerians and optimise existing tax frameworks.
Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, said the bills are an attempt to “colonise the north”.
Also on Friday, the incumbent governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, said the bills would drag the North backwards.He also added that the governor’s in the northern region may not be able to pay workers’ salaries, among other supposed drawbacks of the bills cited by Zulum.
Also the lawmaker representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has threatened to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) if the bills are eventually passed into law.
