The Senate On Wednesday, established a committee to review the contentious Tax Reform Bills currently before the National Assembly. The committee, led by Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), will engage with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, to address the issues causing disputes in the bills. They are expected to report back to the Senate before the public hearing.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin made the announcement during plenary. He emphasized that both the Senate and the executive branch agreed on the need to resolve the disagreements surrounding the bills.
Barau stated, “We decided to set aside politics, ethnicity, and regionalism to work together and find a solution to the issues surrounding the tax reform bills. We have extended this approach to the executive arm, and it was agreed that a forum should be created to address the points of contention and resolve them. This will ensure the unity of the country as we tackle our challenges.”
He added, “Before these bills were introduced, we were already dealing with numerous issues, including insecurity and economic challenges that we, along with the president, have been striving to address. We agreed that no additional issues should be allowed to exacerbate the country’s problems.”
Barau further explained that the executive and the Senate have agreed to hold a forum with the AGF to resolve the areas of disagreement. He announced that the newly formed committee will meet with the AGF to discuss and resolve these issues. As a result, the Committee on Finance has been instructed to delay the public hearing and any further actions on the bills until these concerns are addressed.
Last week, the bills passed the Senate’s second reading through voice votes.
