The new set of Tax Bills pending at the National Assembly (NASS), have continued to be embroiled in controversy, with the Northern Governors’ Forum appearing to be vehemently opposed to some provisions in the Bills, particularly the Value Added Tax (VAT), its derivation and equitable distribution. In this Discourse, Tax Experts, Professor Abiola Sanni, SAN and Chukwuemeka Eze holistically scrutinise the Nigerian tax regime, how the grey areas can be addressed so that there’s a general consensus on the Bills and NASS can pass them timeously, as opposed to letting the Bills which may give Nigeria a better tax regime, end up being consigned to the legislative dustbin, because of a few unresolved controversies The Rejection of Proposed Tax Bills: A Need to Separate the Baby from the Bathwater Professor Abiola Sanni, SAN Introduction T he breaking news on virtually all the social media platforms on Tuesday, 29 October, 2024 titled “Northern Govs, Emirs, Reject Tax Reform Bill” came with a bang. This was followed in quick succession by another report two days later, with a banner headline “LND endorses Northern Govs’ Rejection of Tinubu’s Tax Bills”.
Perhaps, the greatest blow was the report on 1 November, 2024 that read thus: “NEC asked President Tinubu to Withdraw Tax Bills.”. For the Presidential Fiscal Policy Tax Reform Committee (PFPTRC), indeed, when it rains it pours.
I, however, heaved a sigh of relief when the latest news broke late in the evening of 1 .
