By: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
Hilliard Eta, ex-Acting National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC), has given his opinion on the controversial Tax Reform Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
Eta in an interview said that he has joined Senators from the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria who have expressed support for the Tax Reform Bills presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu.
The lawmakers under the aegis of the South-South Senators’ Forum stressed the importance of tax reforms in boosting national revenue and fostering economic stability.
The bills are the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024 -SB.583; the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024- SB.584; and the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 2024- SB. 585; and the Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024 – SB.586.
The four tax reform bills passed second reading at the Senate on Thursday and were referred to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Niger East senator Sani Musa, for further legislative action, including holding a public hearing.
According to Hilliard Eta, “from the perspective of those opposing the bills, the resistance to the proposed Tax Reform Bill was a product of gross misinformation and misinterpretation”.
“When people like Senator Ali Ndume who had not read the bill and they are criticizing, they will have a much more positive appreciation of what the Tax Reform represent”.
Hilliard said the whole issue has been politicized it is not really between the North and South, we should not be sectional about the bill.
He urged the Federal government to increase awareness, we should be patriotic in studying the bill because the bill will go a long way in addressing tax evasion and bring people into the tax net.
Hilliard alleged that it has become a culture in Nigeria where Governors in Nigeria depend solely on Federal Allocation without increasing their Internal Generating Revenue IGR
Eta said this allocation mentality is destroying the County if you create a booming economy it will reflect in your IGR, he stated.
