- Safiu Kehinde
Amid debates for and against the proposed Tax Reform Bills, the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), has, on Monday, called on the National Assembly to speedily pass the bill presented to it by President Bola Tinubu.
President of PMG, Dr Adebayor Ogorry, in a statement in Abuja, called on both chambers of the National Assembly to give the Tax Reform Bills speedy passage as it was a matter of urgent national importance.
According to him, President Tinubu means well for all segments of the country and that the Bills were designed to rescue the country from economic quagmire.
Ogorry urged Tinubu not to be distracted in his quest to lift Nigerians out of reformatory hardships, calling on National Assembly to consider the four Bills as their own contribution towards revamping the nation’s ailing economy.
“We know it’s a very difficult time for every Nigerian, but the people in authority must stand up and be counted as partners in nation building and economic rejuvenation.
“The President must not be distracted, he must remain focused in his quest to liberate Nigerians from the economic quagmire.
“Members of the National Assembly should not listen to any distractions. They should give these Bills accelerated passage.
“There’s no other matter of urgent national importance like the state of our economy and anything done to salvage it, is not only commendable, it’s godly,” he said.
It will be recalled that Tinubu recently proposed four Bills seeking to reform the taxation system and tax administration in Nigeria.
The Bills include the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill.
Since their disclosure, several individuals- especially from Northern Nigeria has agitated against the bills.
Prominent amongst the agitators is former Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
NPO reported that Kwankwaso had, at the third convocation ceremony of Skyline University in Kano, labelled the bills as alleged plot by the FG to impose tax in the North and siphon the revenue to Lagos.