Abuja — As the tax reform bills continue to generate controversy in the country, the South-east Caucus in the Senate on Monday threw their weight behind stakeholders in the polity who are insisting on wider consultations on the proposed fiscal legislations before both chambers of the National Assembly .
The leader of the caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA Abia South), disclosed this to journalists after a closed door meeting of senators from the five South-eastern states held in his office.
Abaribe, at the media briefing, clarified that senators from the South-east are not against the bills.
He said they only wanted wider consultations to be carried out on them before full consideration and possible passage at both chambers of the federal parliament.
Abaribe, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, said: "As much as the entire senators from the South-east geopolitical zone are concerned, we are not against the Tax Reform Bills currently pending before both chambers of the National Assembly for consideration.
"We only want wider consultations to be carried out on them.
"Specifically, we need to consult with our constituents across the 15 Senatorial Districts in the zone, with our state governments and other critical stakeholders.
"We have read through the bills and want to share our knowledge with other stakeholders from the South-east zone for much more equitable framework in the bills that would eventually be passed .
"We are not against the bills but need to consult with our people."
The South-east senators did not give any timeframe for their consultations.
Members of the House of Representatives have already dropped further consideration of the bill pending when an extensive consultations and robust engagement had been sufficiently carried out on it.
The Tax Reform Bills contain the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024; the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 2024; the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill 2024; and the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024.
The landmark fiscal legislations have been generating controversy in the polity since October 3, 2024 when President Bola Tinubu transmitted them to both the Senate and the House of Representatives for consideration.
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At the moment, only the executive arm of the Federal Government, the South-south and the South-west caucuses in the Senate are calling for the immediate consideration of the bills.
The South-east senators have joined other stakeholders like the Nigerian Governors' Forum, the Northern Senators Forum and the Arewa Consultative Forum, among others, that are demanding wider consultations.
