The South-East Caucus in the Senate has called for wider consultations with stakeholders on the Tax Reform Bills currently undergoing legislative process at the National Assembly.

Enyinnaya Abaribe, leader of the caucus, said this in an interview with journalists on Monday after a closed-door meeting of senators from the South-East.

Mr Abaribe said senators from the zone were not against the bills but wanted wider consultations before fully considering both chambers of the national assembly.

“As much as the entire senators from South-East are not against the tax reform bills before both chambers of the National Assembly for consideration, 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 South-East zone for a much more equitable framework in the bills that will eventually be passed. We are not against the bills but need to consult with our people,” he said.

The tax reforms bills, comprised of the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 2024, Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024 and Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024 have been a point of discussion among Nigerians since October 3, when the executive bills were forwarded to both chambers for consideration.

The presidency and South-South caucus in the Senate had called for immediate consideration of the bills, and other stakeholders such as the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, northern senators, and Arewa Consultative Forum had advocated for wider consultations on the bills.

(NAN)