- Ndume Kicks Against FIRS Boss’ Appearance At Plenary
- 60 Taxes, Levies Collected Across Nigeria, Nothing To Show For Them-Oyedele
The outrage and controversies surrounding the controversial Tax Reform Bill currently before the National Assembly reared their ugly heads again on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, as plenary broke into a rowdy session.
Trouble started when the Senate Leader, Michael Bamidele Opeyemi invoked Order 12(1) suspending the Senate Rules to allow the Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Zaach Adedeji, and other tax experts to clarify the Tax Reform Bill.
This was greeted with an opposing point of Order by Senator Abdul Ningi who gave a rundown list of categories of personalities that Senate Rule allows entry into the hallow chamber of the Senate which excluded contractors etc.
While in his ruling the Deputy President of Senate, Senator Jibril Barau, who presided over the Wednesday plenary ruled in favor of the leader’s submission and approved that the august visitors be allowed into the Chamber by the Sergeant-At-Arms.
This action of the Barau immediately stoked Senator Ali Ndume’s anger when he drew the attention of the Chamber to the relevant provision in Senate Rules, arguing that visitors are forbidden to speak to the Chamber if their subject matter was not captured on the Order Paper for legislative debate.
Ndume insisted that the matter was too important to be manipulated and the Senate should not in any way play around the Tax Reform Bill as Nigerians have spoken.
He said: “This is a very important matter. We should not in any way try to use the position of the Senate because the Order Paper is clear. I have no problem having them to come to explain whatsoever but we must follow known procedures.
That is, if today that has to be taken, then there must be a supplementary Order Paper that will reflect this. It is not a matter that you will just come and tell us after we are doing business of the day.
“Mr President, you can have your way, but I will have my say. You can use your gavel and I will use my voice. Tax Reform Bill is very sensitive, and our people have been dominated by this matter,
“When you say, it is a matter of urgent national importance, yes, but even those matters normally refer to another legislative day if they are so inconvenient.
“Please I beg you in the name of God, this matter is very important to not only us, but Nigerians that we represent and we swear by Bible and Holy Quran that we will represent the interest of the people. Nigerians have spoken, the Governors, the National Economic Council.
Ruling on the matter, Barau insisted that whatever the Senate was doing was within its rules, adding that the “Chamber has no time for rhetorics.”
He said, “You have made your point. Now we are not here for rhetoric. We are here for facts“.
At this point the Chamber went rowdy while the Deputy Senate President tried to restore order.
Ndume was eventually ruled out of order and the visitors were allowed into the hallowed Chamber to speak on the proposed Tax Reform Bill.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele has alleged that the federal government has nothing to show for more than 60 taxes and levies collected across the country.
He made the claim at the Senate’s plenary on Wednesday.
“The fiscal system we have today inhibits growth as more than 60 taxes and levies are collected from across the country but nothing to show for it,” he said.
He further noted that the FG intends to halt the situation where Nigerian businesses are forced to pay tax even in the face of losses, compelling the need to scrutinise the system through key reforms.
“We do not want to tax capital or poverty but investment. We are beginning to lose our tax base to other countries. This is why it is urgent to reform the tax system,” he added.
At the end of the explanations, the lawmakers declined to ask questions, resolving to invite the team on the next legislative date to clarify aspects of the proposed reforms before a final resolution is taken.
