Amid ongoing controversy over the tax reform bills before the national assembly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has cautioned the lawmakers against approving a fiscal system that promotes injustice, and inequalities among the states.
Atiku said that rather than pass bill that would further promote uneven development across the nation, the lawmakers should thoroughly review bills before it, to ascertain their effects on Nigerians.
Meanwhile, he asked the National Assembly to make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council (NEC) on the bills.
Reacting to the issue through his official social media handle on Sunday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) former presidential candidate noted that Nigerians had spoken against a fiscal system that seeks to promote “uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.”
He said, “I have followed the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills with keen interest.
“Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity. They are loud and clear that the fiscal system we seek to promote must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.
“I call for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by our representatives in the National Assembly.
“As a concerned stakeholder, I firmly believe that transparency and objectivity are essential for promoting accountability, good governance, and public trust in policy-making.
“The public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organizations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.
“In this wise, I call on the NASS to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council, a key stakeholder and an important organ of the state with the constitutional power to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the federation.
“The NASS must be appropriately guided and ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the bills align with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians.”
