The North’s resentment of the proposed Tax Reform Bills currently at the National Assembly, NASS, has expanded as northern youths attacked Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin yesterday, accusing him of being insensitive to the region.
They described the bills as anti-North, saying it would further relegate the region economically.
The youths, representing 19 northern states, said the lawmaker representing Kano North Senatorial District knows the bills would not serve the region’s interest.
Ever since the proposed laws were sent by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly, lawmakers of northern extraction have been expressing worries.
The executive arm of government had said the bills would ensure uniformity in tax revenue administration across Nigeria, eliminate double taxation, use taxation to encourage private sector investment in critical industries and boost disposable incomes through targeted tax exemptions.
The four bills are the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024 -SB.583, The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) BILL, 2024- SB.584, The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 2024-SB.585, and The Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024 – SB.586.
Last week, the bills passed Second Reading in the Senate despite notable objections from some lawmakers.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, described the proposed fiscal laws as “a significant move to overhaul the country’s tax system.”
However, the North is united in its opposition as all sections of its leadership consider the bills as being against the region’s socio-economic development.
The latest in the opposition by the North is the attack on Senate number two man, Senator Jibrin, by Northern Youth Assembly.
They were particularly angry over the fact that the Deputy Senate President presided over the sitting where the bills passed Second Reading.
The plenary was disrupted by anger and a shouting match over the bills, which came up for debate despite not being listed as an item for the day’s business.
In an open letter signed by Ali Mohammed Idris and Abdulhafiz Garba, President and Secretary respectively of Northern Youth Assembly, the youths said, yesterday, that Jibrin’s position on the bills doesn’t represent the interest of the North.
The letter reads: “The Northern Youth Assembly (Majalisar Matasan Arewa), on behalf of the 19 northern states leadership of the assembly, wishes to express our unequivocal disappointment and dismay in you, following your action towards the scaling for the second reading, of an evil tax reform bill, which would certainly undermine the North, and further relegate the region economically and commercially.
‘’Your support for the passage of the proposed evil tax reform bill put forth by the Tinubu administration is the highest order of your insensitivity to the economic and commercial plight of your constituency, Kano State and the entire Northern Nigeria.
“As representatives of the Northern Nigerian youths, we believe the proposed tax reform bill, in its current form, would surely disproportionately affect the economic livelihoods and aspirations of our people, and it is of course without taking into cognizance of the current economic reality in the country.
