The Senate on Thursday passed the remaining two of President Bola Tinubu’s four tax reform bills, marking the completion of a legislative process widely seen as a major step toward overhauling Nigeria’s tax system.
The passage followed a detailed clause-by-clause consideration of the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill and the Nigeria Tax Bill during plenary, with contentious provisions removed to secure consensus.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, commended lawmakers for their commitment to modernising the country’s tax system.
“These four executive bills seek to transform and modernise the tax system in Nigeria,” Akpabio said after the majority voice vote affirmed the bills’ passage.
This legislative milestone came less than 24 hours after the Senate had cleared the first two of the tax reform bills, deferring the final two for Thursday’s consideration.
The House of Representatives had earlier passed the four bills.
Addressing journalists after the plenary, the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Tax Reform Bills, Senator Sani Musa, said the Senate was deliberate in aligning the reforms with global best practices.
“What we did was to thoroughly review the tax bills and make the necessary adjustments. President Tinubu introduced these reforms to drive economic development. We held a public hearing and a retreat attended by 76 organisations, including religious leaders and key stakeholders,” he said.
Senator Musa added that the Senate recommended the appointment of a chairman for the Nigerian Revenue Service and the creation of an ombudsman to arbitrate and resolve tax-related disputes. He also stressed the importance of establishing a tax tribunal.
“It is not a court of record, but a necessary body for fair and swift resolution of tax matters. We also examined issues such as VAT, tax collection, development levies, and inheritance tax—which have been expunged,” he said.
Musa assured that Nigerians will benefit from the reforms and praised the President for fostering an inclusive and transparent process.
He further revealed that a harmonisation committee would soon be set up to reconcile any differences between the Senate and House versions of the bills.
Parts of the revenue generated from the reformed tax structure, Musa added, will be channelled toward combating cybercrime, enhancing national defence infrastructure, supporting TETFund, and aiding military personnel in restoring peace across the country.
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