A group under the aegis of Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), has called for wider consultations with Nigerians on the Tax Reform Bills before the National Assembly, saying such a step is necessary in order to allay people’s, even regional fears about any perceived deleterious effects of the bills when passed into law, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported .
Mr Jamilu Chiranchi, National Coordinator of CNG, in a presentation on Monday – yesterday, January 13 – at a forum in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, on the topic, “Tax Reform Bills, a Catalyst for Economic Growth or a Burden on People?” urged members of the National Assembly to ensure adequate consultations as was done in passing the Petroleum Industry Bill, to allay fears.
Chiranchi, who identified several areas of concern in the bill, including the derivation formula in Section 77, said the formula requires clarity on whether derivation should be based on the company’s headquarters or consumption level.
He also expressed concern about Section 59, which proposes to stop development levies for agencies such as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) by 2027.
Chiranchi argued that these agencies have contributed significantly to Nigeria’s economic, infrastructural, educational and technological development, and that stopping their funding would undermine their activities.
Mr Hassan Adamu, National Coordinator of the Students Wing of CNG, also expressed worry that the proposed stoppage of funding for TETFund would greatly affect Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Miss Fatima Abubakar, North-East Coordinator of the National Female Association of Nigeria, also said that areas of the bill that affect funding of tertiary education, would worsen the already poor state of women’s education and participation in economic activities, especially in the northern region.
