Senator Ali Ndume has maintained his position that the President Bola Tinubu’s tax reforms bill be stepped down from the National Assembly.
He made the comments while speaking with Channels TV, noting that the pace at which the bill passed through second reading calls for suspicion.
It would be recalled that the controversial tax reform bills passed for second reading at the Senate on Thursday.
It has however raised a lot of controversies since it was sent to the National Assembly by President Tinubu, and Ndume has been one of the people who have mounted the strongest opposition against the bills.
Earlier, the National Economic Council led by Vice-President Kashim Shettima with membership of all state governors, also advised President Tinubu to withdraw the bills.
However, in its own stance, the President insisted that the bill passed through rigorous processes before the final presentation to the National Assembly and at such would not be withdrawn.
“It is not that I am totally saying that we should throw away the baby with the bath water, but since the governors who are our leaders, the National Economic Council and many individuals have said that it is not that we should throw away the bills, no.”
“Withdraw the bill, do more consultations and then bring the bill again. Why are they in a hurry? That is a big suspicion,” Ndume said.
He also disagreed with the timing of the bill, saying the current hunger makes it hard for the reforms to scale through.
“I disagree with the timing because Nigerians are struggling to survive. Our forefathers were paying tax, in the North we pay taxes. So, it is not like we are running away from tax, we pay taxes, every responsible Nigerian will want to pay tax, but the timing is wrong,” he said.
According to Ndume, the best time to present the bills is “when there is no hunger, when people are living, not surviving.”
Earlier, Northern States governors kicked against the tax reform bill stating that it wouldn’t serve the interest of the region properly.
The governors are particularly displeased by the plans to rearrange sharing formula for valued added tax, they argue that this, if implemented, will give edge to some states over the others.
