Atiku speaks, calls for objectivity, transparency in tax reform bills

December 01, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

As the National Assembly moves to the public hearing stage in processing the tax reform bills, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emphasized the need for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the hearing.

Atiku expressed his views on his X handle on Sunday, stressing that all critical stakeholders, including civil society organizations and traditional rulers, must be involved in the process.

“I have followed the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills with keen interest,” Atiku said.

“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.”

Atiku further emphasized the importance of transparency and objectivity in the public hearing process. “I call for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by our representatives in the National Assembly,” he said.

“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 former Vice President also called on the National Assembly 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,” Atiku concluded.