Ruling Party Chieftain Decries Silence On Alleged Tax Law Alterations

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Eze Chikwuemeka Eze, has condemned the silence of the leadership of the National Assembly (NASS), over alleged discrepancies in the recently gazetted tax law.

Describing the alleged distortions in the new tax law as criminal manipulation targeted at swindling Nigerians out of their lawful earnings, Eze called on the National Assembly to initiative impeachment proceedings against President Bola Tinubu.

Eze, in a statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, described as embarrassing, the disturbing perversion of the tax reform bill recently passed by the two arms of the National Assembly to widen Nigeria’s tax base, regulate tax administration, boost revenue, and reduce dependence on borrowing.

He described the foreign insertions into the tax reform bill as depicting the evil referred to, in the biblical illustration in the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:25.

“After Lawmakers legislated on the draft bill and sent to President Tinubu for assent, in the thick of the night, while Lawmakers have retreated to slumberland and Nigerians deep in sleep, the President stealthily grabbed the document, tampered and distorted the law to suit his personal perspective of what a tax law should be.

“And since this embarrassment was made public, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has disappointingly acted to sweep it under the carpet. He has denied Lawmakers access to the certified true copies of the bills.

“The restriction placed on lawmakers from accessing the certified copies bill by Senator  Akpabio has deepened suspicion and internal wrangling within the legislature,” Eze said.

He noted that the alleged alterations perpetrated by the president is a criminal usurpation of the legislative process and the constitutional order which clearly calls for a serious, decisive legislative action against the president.