Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has expressed that the national assembly will likely reject President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills without an in-depth review.
Ndume made these remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, emphasizing that given Nigeria’s current economic challenges, the timing of these bills lacks “political sense.”
In October, President Tinubu submitted four tax reform bills to the national assembly: the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Tax Administration Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, among others. However, the bills faced opposition from the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and were flagged by the National Economic Council (NEC), which called for further consultation.
Despite the opposition, Tinubu maintained that the bills would not be withdrawn, noting that the national assembly could make amendments if necessary. However, Ndume insisted that the economic hardship facing Nigerians, with citizens struggling to afford basic necessities, means that new tax policies are unwelcome.
“We don’t need to study the bill,” he said. “Nigerians are not willing to talk, hear, or pay any tax now, considering the situation we have faced because this is the government of the people.”
