Presidential Advisory Committee Chair says tax reform bills will not be withdrawn; No provision will impoverish north in tax bills _ Presidency

Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, Monday said the federal government did not intend to withdraw the controversial tax reform bills currently before the National Assembly.

Speaking at a town hall meeting on “Tax Reform Bills: Charting the Way Forward”, which was hosted by a national television, Oyedele said the committee was rather ready to repeat engagements with stakeholders.

There had been growing calls by some northern politicians that the bills be withdrawn to allow for further engagements following the controversies they had generated since their introduction.

However, Oyedele explained that contrary to speculations, there were no provisions in the bills that allowed for tax consultants to take over tax collection responsibilities. He added that those duties will still be undertaken by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Oyedele also denied allegations that the tax reform committee did not consult the state governors during its engagement process. He said while he agreed that more consultation might be required, it was not correct that they were not engaged during the process.

Oyedele said now that the bills appeared to have generated renewed interests from stakeholders, who hitherto showed no interest, the committee was prepared to repeat the engagement process.

He said consultation will also continue even after the bills had been passed into law.

Commenting on allegations that the presidential tax reform committee did not consult the state governors, Oyedele said, “No, they won’t say we didn’t consult them. They are saying we need to consult more, which we agree with because consultation will never end. Even after passing the bills, we must continue to consult.

“We had two sessions with the National Economic Council. We had almost a whole day with the finance commissioners from all over Nigeria.

“We’ve had at least four sessions with the heads of the internal revenue services from all the 36 states plus the FCT. To six geopolitical zones, we identified one governor per zone and wrote to them to go and meet them where they are with their cabinet and discuss. We did some of that.

“Some of them did not have time for us. For those who had, who appreciate the government of Nigeria, they say, no, let’s even set up a committee between my cabinet and your team to work through the details.”

Oyedele stated further, “We worked for more than six months. We always welcome opportunities to engage. But it is not correct to say that we did not consult.”

He also refuted claims that the federal government appeared to be in a rush to get the bills passed into law.

He explained, “And we are not in a hurry, sorry because when you find yourself in a situation where we are now, where people are starving, there’s poverty in the land, some people can’t make ends meet. The time to cut their taxes.

“The time to provide relief. The time to create opportunity for them. The time to make our businesses thrive is now, not tomorrow. In fact, we should have done it yesterday, but now is the next best time.”

On assumptions that the tax reform might cost President Bola Tinubu a second term, Oyedele said, “I feel really very sorry for Mr. President. Even though he says nobody should feel sorry for him. I have to be honest with you, in this role, Mr. President has never for once asked my committee to make sure that we do something when we are done.”

The tax reform committee chairman said Tinubu had given them a free hand to do their job without interference.

He said it was “Nigerians from all over Nigeria, who came up with this analysis using data to make those recommendations.

“But they blame everything on him. He’s taking all of it in good faith. I hope that the reason why, if anything happens in 2027, will not be because of this bill.

“Because that way, we’ll be doing an injustice, not only to him, but to the whole of this country, Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the presidency Monday reacted to the controversy surrounding the four tax reform bills that had passed second reading in the Senate, but got stuck in the House of Representatives, where further debate on the matter was suspended indefinitely.

In a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the presidency said no provision in the bills would impoverish the northern states or make the southern states, like Lagos and Rivers, more affluent.

Rather, it stated that the bills were out to better the lives of disadvantaged Nigerians struggling to earn a living.