Senators from the Southeast region have asked the federal government and the National Assembly to engage in wider consultations on the controversial tax reform bills.
The leader of the caucus, and the Senator representing Abia, Enyinnaya Abaribe, disclosed this to newsmen after a closed-door meeting of the senators from the region in his office at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the tax reform bills submitted to the legislature by President Bola Tinubu in October had become the subject of intense debate and controversy across different sections of the country.
While the government has been advocating for the quick passage of the bills, some stakeholders, including Northern governors, lawmakers, and the National Economic Council, have called for wider consultation.
Last week, Senators from the South South and South West regions also threw their weight behind the passage of the bills.
However, Mr Abaribe explained that lawmakers from the South East zone were not against the bills, but wanted wider consultations with stakeholders across the 15 senatorial districts in the zone and the state governments.
He said: “As much as the entire Senators from the South-east are not against the tax reform bills before both chambers of the National Assembly, we want wider consultations to be carried out on them.
“Specifically, we need to consult with our constituents across the 15 senatorial districts in the zone with our state governments and other critical stakeholders.
“We have read through the bills and want to share our knowledge with other stakeholders from the Southeast zone for a much more equitable framework in the bills that would eventually be passed. We are not against the bills but need to consult with our people,” he stressed.
