The Senate leadership has directed its Committee on Finance to suspend further action on the proposed tax bill pending the outcome of a high-level meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
The decision follows a series of deliberations by lawmakers aimed at resolving disagreements over key provisions in the proposed legislation.
The Deputy senate president, Senator Barau Jibrin, made the announcement during plenary on Wednesday .
He also disclosed that a special committee has been constituted to address contentious issues in the bill, with the meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 5.
“In this regard, we have decided to set aside politics, ethnicity, and regionalism to work together on resolving the issues surrounding the tax reform bills.
“In collaboration with the executive arm of government, we agreed to establish a forum to identify and address contentious areas to ensure national unity and progress.
“Before the introduction of these bills, we faced numerous challenges, including insecurity and economic issues.
“The President has been working to address these problems, and we are committed to supporting these efforts while tackling global economic challenges.
“We also agreed that no other issues should aggravate the country’s current difficulties.
“It has been mutually decided between the Executive and the Senate to engage the Judiciary to sort out these matters,” Barau stated.
The special committee is to be chaired by Senator Abba Moro. Other members include:Tahir Monguno, Aliero Adamu, Kalu Orji, Dickson Seriake, Zam Titus, Yahaya Abdullahi, Adeola Solomon, Sani Musa, Abiru Mukhail, as well as the entire leadership of the Senate.
Recall that the bills sparked controversy upon their introduction to the National Assembly.
The bills, which include the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024; and Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024, are aimed at revamping the country’s tax laws.
However, Northern governors and the National Economic Council rejected the bills on the grounds that they would put the region at a disadvantage.
The latest move by the Senate comes after the bills were passed for second reading at the Senate last week.
