Tax Reform Bills Public Hearing : Senate Invites Critical Stakeholders

The Nigerian Senate, through its committee on Finance , will, on Monday and Tuesday next week, begin public hearing on tax reforms bills forwarded to both Chambers on October 3rd , 2024 by President Bola Tinubu .

The tax reform bills which are (i) The Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024, (ii)The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill (NTAB) 2024, ( iii)The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill (NRSEB) 2024 and (iv) The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill (JRBEB) 2024, were passed for second reading in the Senate on 28th of November, 2024 and forwarded to the Committee on Finance for more legislative inputs through public hearing .

Briefing newsmen after an executive session held with members of the committee ahead of the public hearing, the Chairman, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa ( Niger East ) said the slated public hearing is coming after wide consultations made with relevant stakeholders.

Sani Musa said the bills on Joint revenue board establishment bill and the Nigerian Revenue Services Bill, will be deliberated upon on Monday while the one on the Nigerian Tax Administration and Nigeria Tax bill, will be the focus on Tuesday .

According to him, for thorough consideration of the bills aimed at changing the dynamics of the Nation’s economy, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, the Attorney – General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi ( SAN) , Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive, National Bureau of Statistics, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, the Minister of Petroleum and his counterpart in the Ministry of Trade and Investment etc ,are expected at the public hearing .

“The Committee is inviting Nigerians totalling 71 different groups of stakeholders for the very important public hearing.”

“Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have done the second reading on the reform bills and are ready for the public hearing”.

” The bills have been read by all members of the committee with better understanding of what they are aimed at, like in the areas of tax administration, collection, and operations in Nigeria”.

“The main purpose of the reform bills are to see to how government will generate more revenue so that we’ll be able to put our country on the pedestrian of advanced economies where infrastructure where education where agricultural sector and virtually every sector that revolves around the ecosystem of the economy will be adequately taken care of.

“Expectedly, we have had engagements with a lot of stakeholders before arriving at where we are today, and I believe that the public hearing is going to go on smoothly, and wherever the grey areas are, they will be addressed .

“Mr. President himself has said it, times without number, that he’s not going to interfere. It is our duty as legislators to do the needful for the good of this country.”

” We are all representatives of different tribes, religions, geographic history, but we are Nigerians. And what we will work towards giving Nigeria, are laws, legislations that will put us on track economically, and by the grace of God, I think… We will succeed.”

Earlier before the closed door session, the committee met top management of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated ( MOFI) led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Armstrong Tokang who was directed to provide the committee, the National Assets Register of the country .

James Itodo, Edited By Grace Namiji