The former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, explained that he has been following with keen interest, the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills, adding that Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has called on the National Assembly to ensure that it properly guides and ensures that the content of the current Tax Reform Bills aligns with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians.
In a statement on Sunday shared on his X (former Twitter), Atiku called 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 former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, explained that he has been following with keen interest, the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills, adding that Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity.
While calling for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by the National Assembly, Atiku, insisted that the fiscal system the authorities are seeking to promote must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.
The statement partly read: “I have followed the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills with keen interest.
“Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity. They are loud and clear that the fiscal system we seek to promote must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.
“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.”
He added, “The public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organisations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.
“In this wise, 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.”
Leave a Reply