By Ericjames Ochigbo
THE LEADER of the Northern Regional Caucus in the House of Representatives, Rep. Alhassan Doguwa, has said that the caucus will allow national interest to take precedence in the consideration of the four tax reform bills.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on a Monday, Doguwa assured that the caucus will study the bills carefully and diligently before endorsing them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bills are: Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill and Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill.
NAN also reports that the bills seek to provide fiscal framework as well as clear and concise legal frameworks for all taxes in the country and reduce disputes in tax administration
NAN recalls that all the 36 state governors have, however, demanded for the withdrawal of the proposed legislations, citing the need for more consultations and public inputs.
Doguwa said that the caucus will not rush to avoid hasty mistakes saying that appropriate consultations and engagements will be done.
“These proposed bills are obviously to do with fiscal federalism as it relates to sharing of resources, to federating units and key government institutions.
“We must therefore, be careful to study the bills diligently and consider them clause by clause with a view to making justice to the people and justice to the bills, in the overall interest of the people and national interest.
“We will certainly not rush the passage of these bills in order to avoid making hasty legislations or laws that would at the end not be able address our practical economic realities as a nation.
“National interest will be the key word. It will be the watchword and I believe all of us will be guided by national interest.
“The government itself, I want to believe has good intentions. So, we will look at those intentions and see how we can educate and enlighten our people and at the end of the day, the law will be for the good of the people,” he said.
The caucus leader commended the leadership of the house for organising a stakeholders interaction saying it has broaden members understanding of the bills.
He said members will go down into other smaller legislative groups, caucuses, regional and state level to let people begin to understand the importance of the bills.
“We, as members of the northern caucus will build on the initiative of the leadership, which of course is by way of promoting interaction, consultation, widening the scope of enlightenment of our people”, he stated. (NAN)
