The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Tax Bill

  • Lawmaker seeks support for new tax bill

    Lawmaker seeks support for new tax bill

    A member of the 44-man committee set up by House of Representatives to preside over public hearing on the new tax bill, Hon. Kolawole Akinlayo, has urged Nigerians to support the Federal Government over the proposed new tax reform bill, saying it was initiated for the good of the citizens.

    Akinlayo, who is representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency II (Ido-Osi, Moba, Ilejemeje), also said the move was part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts in fixing the nation’s ailing economy and rescue it from total collapse.

    Speaking in his Ikosu Ekiti country home in Moba local government area during an empowerment programme for constituents, the lawmaker stated that the bill was to ensure that Nigerians particularly, small scale business owners, low income and the likes have more benefits from the tax they are paying.

    At the event, items like sewing machine, grinding machine,  motorcycles, fridges, generating sets, bags of fertilisers, roofing sheets, knapsack spraying machines, hair dryers among other items were distributed. 

    The lawmaker, who stated that the empowerment programme was to give back to the society that has done so much for him, informed hundreds of students of higher institutions also bursary worth millions. 

    He said: “We have also given cash gift to  a lot of people, majority, the aged and the widows . No fewer than 320 of them were selected from across the federal constituency and given fifty thousand naira each as start up pack for petty business. The were also given clothing materials.

    “We are giving out all of these to empower, uplift  and to improve the living  standard of our people who mostly artisans.

    “These will do lot in their life because at the moment , things are hard in our society , the little we are doing is to ease the hardship and give them succour. This is just  the beginning as we are going to do more with the programme holding on quarterly basis.

    “People have been talking about Value Added Tax (VAT), the consuming tax, which means whatever you consume, you pay tax on it. 

    “But there were claims that some area consume a particular commodity or commodities more than others. For instance, there business transactions taking place in a particular state and the VAT on them are being filed in another state, which take the benefits.

    “What the presidency is trying to achieve is to ensure that, it is the place, where goods and items are consumed that will get the VAT benefits.

    “The move is aimed at centralizing distribution of VAT across board and also designed  to tax the rich  to pay for the poor.With the new tax bill , any business below 50 million naira  will not pay taxes.Also, if you are not earning up to certain amount, from level 8 below will not pay taxes . It will be a kind of tax holiday for the people”.

    He posited that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration is working hard as the ruling party and as government and no political force wrestle power from the party come 2027.

    He argued the President removed fuel subsidy and floated the exchange in order for Nigeria not to collapse.

    “If such step is not taken about Naira , we will be allowing our currency to determine its value. Before , we are using Naira to back the dollar and it is not done anywhere. 

    “But the president said no. It is high time that we faced the reality and take the bull by the horns. Now the economy of Nigeria is gradually picking up and things in terms of of our goods and services. Thing will continue to get better by God’s grace”.

    Ekiti Governor, Biodun Oyebanji,  who was represented by his deputy, 

    Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said the strong partnership the lawmaker established with nine members of the National Assembly from the state is yielding the right dividends that are turning around the lives of the citizens. 

    He eulogised the lawmaker for his generosity and sense of patronage, saying he has demonstrated commitment to human capital development as a pillar of his administration, with the quantum of materials distributed to the citizens. 

  • Rowdy session at Reps plenary over comment on adoption of tax bill

    Rowdy session at Reps plenary over comment on adoption of tax bill

    …members call for resignation

    Tuesday’s plenary of the House of Representatives erupted into a rowdy session midway into the session when the Spokesman of the House, Akintunde Rotimi (APC, Ekiti) said the Ekiti caucus of the National Assembly has unanimously endorsed the tax bills.

    Rotimi, who was to present a report on two bills from the House Committee on Nigerian Content Development and monitoring on behalf of the committee chairman, Boma Goodhead represents Ikole/Oye Federal Constituency of Ekiti state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

    Rotimi said: “My name is Akin Rotimi, I represent the good people of Ekiti one Federal Constituency made up of Oye and Ose. I am from Ekiti State, the first state to unanimously adopt the tax bills.”

    His introduction sparked protest from members who felt offended by the introduction with many of them chanting no, no, no, throwing the House into a rowdy session.

    Several attempts by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, to calm the members proved abortive as they refused to accept the apology of the Speaker while refusing Rotimi to continue the presentation of the two reports for consideration.

    Although Rotimi apologized to the members, saying his introduction did not affect the substantive matter and withdrawing the introduction, members were not appeased, as they continued to voice their opposition.

    The Speaker asked Rotimi to restrict himself to the report he was to present, saying, “Restrict yourself to the person you are representing here. We are not talking about tax bills. Hon. Rotimi, you know this is a controversial issue. I don’t want you to be mentioning things that are not relevant to the subject matter. On your behalf, I withdraw that statement that you have made. So, on your behalf, I have withdrawn that statement you made and please let us not repeat it. S, go ahead and raise your motion.

    Read Also: Arewa group drums support for Tinubu’s Tax Bill

    After the appeal of the Speaker and the withdrawal of his earlier introduction, Rotimi was allowed to present the report on the Nigeria Content Development Board, but members would not allow the motion to be seconded even though the Speaker tried to get someone to second it, saying it has nothing to do with the tax bills.

    Rotimi was however forced to step down the presentation of the report for consideration till the next legislative day.

    However, coming under privilege, a member of the House from Kano state, Ghali Mustapha complained about a statement credited to the Deputy Spokesman of the House, Phillip Agbese, saying he must apologise to the House and resign his position.

    Coming under order 6 rule 5, he said “I woke up this morning to see an online publication from the deputy spokesman of the House and the publication is in Daily Trust and it reads ‘those opposed to tax reform bills now seeking speedy passage.’

    “I am one of the first persons that opposed this vehemently and the deputy spokesperson did not contact me as a stakeholder and did not seek my opinion on this. The heading is insinuating that for those who opposed these tax bills, there is an inducement somewhere.

    “Therefore, I am calling for the withdrawal of this statement and an investigation and apology in print media because this is injurious to me, my people, my religion, and the region where I come from. Mr Speaker, this is a breach of privilege and this is unprofessional, unethical, and immoral.

    “I am personally calling (chorus from members, we are calling) for this matter to be investigated to find out who and who are those people opposed to this bill that are now asking for speedy passage of these bills. We are also calling for his resignation as deputy spokesperson of this House”.

    Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) said the investigation of the comment of the Deputy Spokesman be referred to the committee on ethics and privileges.

    In his ruling, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu commended the Kano lawmaker for his approach saying “I want to thank you for the approach you used. That is parliamentary and we are having a conversation. What you have done is relying on our rules and it is going to be well-documented that your voice has been heard. I want to commend you for following this line of action.

    “But the rule is clear that once a point of privilege is moved, it is not debated. You have asked for this to be investigated. But you did not tell me whether to move it to the ethics and privileges committee and that is why Sada Soli came with his own. It is not in your prayer. There are many ways to investigate this. We will make sure that all your concerns are well noted by the House and the right action will be taken.

    “It is not in your prayer, we will note it and take it from there. I can assure you that justice will be done to this and if there is any retraction to be made, it will be made. You cannot speak on behalf of the House without the permission of the House”.

  • NEC okays Tax Bill withdrawal for wider consultations

    NEC okays Tax Bill withdrawal for wider consultations

    • Presidency explains derivation-based VAT model

    After receiving briefing on the Tax Reform Bill, the National Economic Council (NEC) yesterday urged its withdrawal from the National Assembly to allow for wider consultations.

    The Executive Bill designed to comprehensively reform the tax system, was last week sent to the federal lawmakers for consideration and passage.

    But governors and traditional rulers from the North, kicked against the portion of Value Added Tax (VAT), which in their estimation is skewed against the North.

    Their position sparked controversy around the Bill despite Federal Government insistence that it is fair to all.

    They rejected the proposed derivation-based model for VAT distribution.

    At yesterday’s 145th NEC meeting chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, explained the motivation and merits of the bill to the Council.

    Read Also: Seven things to know about late veteran actor Agbako

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who made known the resolutions of the meeting, said NEC members resolved to push for consensus building.

    He said the NEC also requested for more time to enable Nigerians gain a fuller understanding of the Bill.

    Makinde said the withdrawal of the bill would allow room for more consultations and engagement.

    He said: “The Council acknowledged that the country is under performing on all indices as regards yields from major revenue sources; also tax to GDP ratio and so on.

    “So, after extensive deliberations, NEC noted the need for sufficient alignment between and among the stakeholders for the proposed reforms.

    “Council therefore, recommend the need to withdraw the bill currently before the National Assembly on tax reforms, so that we can have wider consultations and also build consensus around these reforms, for the benefit of the entire country, and also to give people, for them to know the vision and where we are moving the country in terms of a tax reform, because there’s really a lot of miscommunication, misinformation.

    “So, the bill will be withdrawn from the National Assembly and then, there will be consultations afterwards.”

    NEC  also approved the  “Solutions for Internally Displaced and Host Communities” programme, presented by Hajara Ahmed, Project Coordinator for the World Bank-supported initiative.

    The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, who also spoke with reporters after the meeting, said the initiative would address the long-term needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) through improved access to basic services and economic opportunities.

    He said the programme would focus on investment in resilient infrastructure and support for host communities to foster sustainable livelihoods.

    The minister said states are expected to appoint focal persons to facilitate communication with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which will oversee project implementation alongside the National North East Development Commission.

    Bagudu said: “The initiative seeks to develop robust infrastructure that can withstand future challenges, including improvements in essential services such as water supply, sanitation, and transportation. These enhancements, he said are crucial for supporting both IDPs and the communities that host them.

    “In addition to infrastructure development, the programme, Bagudu added emphasizes the need for support for host communities. Recognizing that these communities face significant challenges, the initiative aims to provide necessary resources to help them foster sustainable livelihoods.

    “By addressing the needs of host communities, the program seeks to create an inclusive environment where both IDPs and local residents can thrive together.

    “The initiative focuses on strengthening project management and policy implementation.

    This involves enhancing the capabilities of local governments and community leaders to effectively manage resources and tailor interventions to meet the specific needs of both displaced populations and their hosts.”