The Southern Caucus of the House of Representatives says it is open to dialogue on the four tax bills.
This was the caucus position presented by its chairman, Mr. Nicholas Mutu, in Abuja.
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He said the caucus has met and is engaging with their constituents on the bills.
He noted that the caucus is open to dialogue on the proposed legislation.
Mutu said, “The southern caucus of the House of Representatives has met. We welcome the bills and we are open to dialogue.”
The lawmaker, who noted that the proposed legislation is people-oriented and good for the country, said the parliament at the appropriate time would capture the missing links in the bills.
According to him, “We are open to dialogue. And at the right time, we will capture the people elements that are missing in the bill. The bill is good for Nigeria, and it is a people-oriented bill. And we are happy to have the bill.”
Similarly, the chairman of the Bayelsa State caucus, Frederick Agbedi, who also spoke at the briefing, said that there is no division in the House over the bills.
“Mr President has sent executive bills. What the Southern caucus is saying is that we are ready to take up our official responsibility of making laws for the nation. We welcome the bill, and as we process it, inputs are made from our various states and constituencies.
“Some states have already received those inputs. So we are in consonance with our constituents and the states that we represent. So we are ready to work to ensure that we give a better tax law to Nigerians. That is what we are interested in. There is nothing like the Southern or Northern divide,” Mr. Agbedi said.
On his part, the chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, said there is nothing unusual about the controversies trailing the tax bills. Benson recalled that similar controversies had trailed the 13 percent derivation fund for oil-producing states, as well as the host community fund in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“At every point in time, there’s no bill that has a national outlook that there won’t be interest colliding one way or the other. Our job is to sit down with our brothers, find the middle course, and move ahead,” he stated.
The bills, which are intended to reform tax administration in the country, have been trailed by controversies, with state governors and northern leaders kicking against them.
Also, deliberations on the bills in the Green Chamber have been put on hold by the House leadership to enable more consultations by members.
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