The Senate has suspended action on the tax reform bills currently before it.
It further instructed the Committee on Finance to stay action on the public hearing pending the time the agitation in the public space is addressed.
The Senate further constituted a special committee to meet with the executive branch and work with the Federal Government to resolve the issues surrounding the tax reform bills.
This was made known by the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided during the plenary on Wednesday.
There have been a lot of controversies surrounding the Tax Reform Bills since its introduction to the National Assembly.
The bills are the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024 and Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024.
Northern governors have rejected the bills, describing them as anti-democracy.
Following this, the National Economic Council requested that the tax reforms bill be withdrawn from the NASS for more consultations.
Amidst the controversy, Senator Shehu Buba (APC, Bauchi South) in an interview with British Broadcasting Service, Hausa Service said Northern Senators agreed to recall the Tax Reforms Bills.
He said, “These bills are complex and require thorough review by tax policy experts.”
He claimed that northern lawmakers strongly oppose the proposed “derivation” formula in the value-added tax (VAT) distribution system, arguing that northern states would be unfairly impacted.
Also, on Tuesday, the president instructed the Ministry of Justice to liaise with the judiciary.
Speaking about these controversies, the Deputy Senate president noted that the delegation will meet on Thursday at the National Assembly to resolve all the issues that have been the cause of the uproar.
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