Tinubu's Tax Reform Bill: Daniel Bwala Names 1 Thing North Trying to Push

• President Bola Tinubu's special adviser on policy communication, Daniel Bwala, has defended the controversial tax reform bill
• The presidential spokesperson maintained that the northern elites who are against the bill are looking forward to negotiating with President Tinubu for whatever reason known to them
• According to Bwala, the bills would not impoverish the poor as the governors have posited; rather, they would give them breathing space

Daniel Bwala, President Bola Tinubu's special adviser on policy communication, has defended the proposed tax reform bills, stating that they will actually favour the poor in northern Nigeria and that the northern elites are only looking to negotiate with the president.

Bwala made this statement on Tuesday, December 3, while appearing on Prime Time, an Arise Television program. This comes after widespread criticism of the tax reform bills, which President Tinubu dispatched to the national assembly on October 3.

Bwala said:

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“They want to bargain. They want to have a bargaining stand with the president on whatever issue. I don’t know.”

Details of Tinubu's tax reform bills

According to The Cable, the tax reform bills comprise four main legislations: the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. President Tinubu is also seeking to repeal the law establishing the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and replace it with the Nigeria Revenue Service. However, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has kicked against the bills, asking the national assembly to reject any legislation that may harm the region's interests.

Despite the opposition, Bwala maintains that the tax reform bills are designed to benefit the poor, particularly in northern Nigeria. He expressed sadness over the notion that the bills were intended to afflict the North, stating that many Northerners supported the bill. Bwala emphasized that the tax reform bills address the problems faced by poor people and that the tax is actually in favour of the poor.

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Bwala's statement is in line with the presidency's assurance to the northern governors that the tax reform bills are not intended to shortchange any part of the country. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has also advised northerners not to condemn President Tinubu over the bills but rather to view the reforms as an opportunity.

Tax reform bills: Tinubu order justice ministry

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Ministry of Justice to work with the National Assembly on the concerns raised on the tax reform bill.

Tinubu's directive was to ensure that all genuine concerns about the bill were addressed before it was passed.

The tax reform bill has become controversial since it was forwarded to the National Assembly in October.

Source: Legit.ng