Commotion within house of Reps over Tinubu’s tax reform bill.
Reason for the commotion
The House of Representatives nearly turned chaotic on Tuesday when the tax reform bills were mentioned during the plenary session.
The House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, mentioned the tax reform bill while presenting certain reports, which led to some lawmakers voicing their objections.
Mr. Rotimi, a legislator from Ekiti State, mentioned during the motion that his state’s caucus was the first in the National Assembly to support the bills.
My name is Akin Rotimi Jr., and I represent the people of Ekiti North, which includes Ikole and Oye Local Governments. Mr. Speaker, I hail from Ekiti State, the first state whose National Assembly Caucus has given unanimous support to the tax bill,” he stated.
The remark triggered intense outbursts on the floor for several minutes, especially from legislators who seemed to resist the proposed legislation.
Last week, the House revealed intentions to hold a special session on the bills; however, it was suddenly called off without any clarification.
The initial plan to hold the session came after the lower chambers held a closed-door session for about two hours to discuss the proposed tax laws.
President Bola Tinubu’s four proposed tax bills have split lawmakers into northern and southern groups. Many lawmakers from the North support their governors, who recently spoke out against the bills.
The recent drama in the House shows how deeply divided lawmakers are over the bills.
Last week, the Senate approved the bills for a second reading, even though some lawmakers were against them. However, it seems that there may be even stronger resistance in the House.
