Minority Leader Hails Tax Reform Bill, Urges Collective Responsibility in Addressing Nigeria’s Challenges
By Mercy Adi
The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, has expressed his support for the Tax Reform Bill, describing it as more beneficial to the general public compared to the previous version presented to the Senate and House.
Chinda, who represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), emphasized that the passage of the tax reform bills demonstrates the opposition’s commitment to working in the best interest of Nigeria.
In an exclusive interview with the National Assembly New Media Forum (NANMF), Chinda noted that the public often misconceives the absence of conflict among parliamentarians as a lack of opposition in Parliament.
“Recall that the Tax Reform Bill is part of a broader effort to overhaul Nigeria’s tax system, which includes four key bills: the Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill (NTAB), the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill (NRSEB), and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill (JRBEB),” he explained.
Chinda hailed the passage of the tax reform bills as evidence of the opposition’s commitment to Nigeria’s interest. “Let me say that the passage of the tax reform bills is one of the evidence of the vibe of opposition which we assured you we are going to have in place in Parliament,” he said. The Minority Leader emphasized that the opposition has adopted a more constructive approach to governance, prioritizing the interests of Nigerians over popularity or personal gain.
“We have been here long enough, and out of experience, we have concluded that that has not paid off for us as a nation and as a country. We have fought for several years in Parliament, but we saw insecurity increasing. We saw economic woes increasing. So we decided that we are going to make our impact having the interest of Nigerians at the back of our mind, not seeking for popularity, not seeking for our colleagues from the public, but ensuring that we do our work very studiously and then get results,” Chinda explained.
The Tax Reform Bill, according to Chinda, was not good enough for Nigerians in its initial form. “When the tax bill came, we saw that the bill was not good enough for Nigerians, and we started the push for a reform of that bill. We believe, or we believed, that Nigeria needed a change in her tax system, and so our tax laws were due for reform,” he said. The Minority Leader revealed that the opposition worked closely with the leadership of the National Assembly to address the contentious areas of the bill.
“We insisted, and it was stepped down. Took our time to do in-house cleaning of the bill, all the contentious areas, proper consultation, from the Governor’s forum to state parliament and several organizations, including religious groups, all the opinion we are taking into consideration in-house, and when we had tidied that up completely, We came back to the floor of the parliament to now look at it and ensure that what we had agreed is exactly what is brought to the floor of Parliament, and we passed it with ease,” Chinda noted.
In a related development, Chinda commented on the State of Emergency and Suspension imposed on Rivers State and Governor Siminalayi Fubara by President Bola Tinubu, which was jointly approved by the National Assembly.
The Minority Leader maintained that he is prepared to sacrifice his seat as a member and ensure that no life in Rivers State is lost.
“We must make progress. There’s no harm, whether the legislature, the judiciary or the executive, even the Nigerian masses, that it cannot share from the blame of our country, all of us must sit up. We must be a little bit more selfless, honorable.”
Chinda reminded Nigerians that the House Rules provide for process and procedure, which says every process is legitimate unless it is contested. He emphasized the need for collective responsibility and selflessness in addressing the challenges facing Nigeria.
