By Mercy Gadia Adi
The House of Representatives has assured Nigerians that it will pass tax laws that are transparent and fair to all sections of the country. This promise was made during a public hearing on Wednesday in Abuja, despite growing opposition to the ongoing tax reforms.
Three groups – the Nigeria Customs, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), and the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) – expressed their opposition to the tax reforms for various reasons.
According to Bashir Adeniyi, comptroller general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the proposed tax reform bills are in jurisdictional conflict with the NCS and will legislate the agency out of existence.
Presenting key objections contained in a 17-page memorandum before the committee, Adeniyi expressed fears that the bills might override existing laws, including the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
Adeniyi emphatically pointed to Section 1 of the Nigerian Revenue Service Establishment Bill 2024, which provides a legal framework for the administration of taxes and revenue under any law, where Section 42 defines tax to include any duty and revenue accruable to the government.
The NCS boss said this particular section subsumes everything that is provided under sections 3 and 4 of the Nigeria Customs Act 2023. He also highlighted that sections 23, 29 and Section 41 of the Joint Revenue Bill have jurisdictional conflict issues.
“Basically, these are jurisdictional conflict issues. In the Nigerian Revenue Service Established Bill, Section 1 seeks to completely legislate Nigerian Customs Service out of existence, if you pardon my words,” Adeniyi stated.
The TUC president also rejected the proposed section of the bill that seeks to scrap and defund the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the House of Representatives, assured that the Green Chamber would give Nigerians tax laws that are transparent and fair.
“The House will, therefore, scrutinise these bills thoroughly, ensuring they align with the best interests of our constituents and the nation at large. We owe this duty to Nigerians, and as the People’s House, we must always be accountable to the people,” Abbas said.