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Tax Reform Bills Propose New Sharing Formula, Cede 55% to State Govt

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The Senate on Thursday resumed its debate on the Tax Reform Bills, a set of four legislative proposals to increase value-added tax (VAT) distributable to the subnational governments to 55% while reducing the federal government’s share to 10%.

The new legislative regimes also proposed zero VAT on exports and essential consumptions by the masses and grant of input VAT credit on assets and services in addition to goods consumed by businesses to lower the cost of production

These far-reaching initiatives were contained in the lead debate of Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele on the Tax Reform Bills at the Senate Chamber, National Assembly Complex, Abuja yesterday.

The Federal Executive Council had proposed the Tax Reform Bills comprising the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024 and Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024.

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The bills elicited spirited interests among key lawmakers and stakeholders across party lines, a situation that informed the leadership of the Senate to invite Chairman, Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele and Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr. Zacch Adedeji to brief its plenary.

Leading debate at the plenary, Bamidele reeled out far-reaching proposals contained in the Tax Reform Bills, which according to him, aims at simplifying the tax landscape, reducing the burden on small business and streamlining how taxes are collected.

In the area of tax exemptions, Bamidele pointed out that those, whose salaries are not more than the minimum wage from Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions, would be exempted from the tax regime.

He also said small businesses with annual turnover of N50 million or less “are equally exempted from payment of taxes,” a key pro-business initiative that encourages job creation; deepens ease of doing business and incentivises more investments.

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Similarly, the senate leader explained that there was a proposed huge reduction in company income tax from the current 30% to 25% that would last for at least two years.

He said: “As part of deliberate attempt to curtail the incidence of double taxation and multiplicity of taxes and levies, multiple taxes hitherto paid by companies under various tax heads namely 2.5% education tax, 0.25% NASENI tax have been harmonized into a development level of 2% which by 2030 will be applied to fund the newly established student loan scheme which will benefit many Nigerian youths.

“Unlike what is obtainable under the existing tax regime whereby the Federal Government takes a lion share of VAT revenues, it is proposed that the sharing formula should allow the State Government share 55% of VAT revenue from the current 15% to 10% sharing formula.

“However, Local Governments share of VAT revenue remains unaffected. Relatedly, basic items consumed by Nigerian households such as food items, medical services and pharmaceuticals, educational fees, electricity etc. are exempted from VAT.

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“Again, as part of efforts to ease the administration of income taxes and levies across the Federation, there is a reasonable effort made to consolidate core tax statutes and related tax legislations,” Bamidele explained.

Contrary to misrepresentations in the public domain regarding the intendment of the Bills under consideration, Bamidele explained that the bills contained innovative and people-oriented proposals as part of the government’s deliberate fiscal and tax reform measures to cushion the effect of ongoing broader economic policies such as the removal of subsidy on petroleum products, renewed efforts to implement cost -reflective electricity tariffs in the power sector etc on Nigerian citizens.

In his contribution, former Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) claimed that his problem was about timing and the issue of derivation.

He added that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) must be amended before the Tax Reform Bills should take effect, therefore calling for its immediate withdrawal.

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Ndume observed: “I am not against the reform, my problem is timing and the issue of derivation make the reform contagious. The 1999 Constitution has to be amended before the bills can be effective.”

However, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Mohammed Munguno (Borno North) expressed strong objection to Ndume’s submissions, asking the Senate to disregard it and pass the bills for second reading.

Munguno urged the Senate to pass the bill into second reading, advocating that all areas of concern would be addressed at the public hearing stage.

After the debate that featured Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa and Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology, Senator Seriake Dickson, the Senate unanimously passed the bills into second reading following Munguno’s final position.

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In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Finance, advising the Committee to invite all the stakeholders to the public hearing to address all areas of concern.

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BREAKING: Jubilation As PDP Wins All 30 LGs In Osun State(See winners)

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, has announced that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won all the local government and councillorship positions in the just concluded local government elections in the state.

The Chairman of the Commission, Hashim Abioye, made this announcement via a Facebook Live broadcast on Saturday evening.

Abioye stated that PDP candidates secured all the councillorship seats in all 332 wards in the state, as well as the chairmanship elections in all 30 local government council areas.

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The names of the PDP chairmanship candidates and their respective local government council areas:

Babalola Wasiu Kayode – Boripe

Okunade Oluwafemi Adesanya – Egbedore

Adeyenuwo Rotimi John – Ife Central

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Agboola Francis Olajire – Obokun

Azeez Lateef Adeniran – Isokan

Aina Abayomi Adesina – Boluwaduro

Sodiq Samuel Oluwapelumi – Ola Oluwa

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Ajibade Oluwatoyin S. – Irepodun

Adebanjo Oladiti Tunmininu – Ilesa West

Ibironke Alade Adegboye – Atakumosa East

Aroke Muyiwa Aderemi – Ife South

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Kolade Obafemi Kolawole – Olorunda

Moshood Adekunle Kabiru – Iwo

Awotunde Abiodun Sarafadeen – Ifelodun

Akande Taiwo Adekunle – Osogbo

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Dada Feyisayo Ajibola – Atakumosa West

Amodu Taiwo – Ede North

Atolagbe Kayode Olayinka – Ifedayo

Akande Michael O. – Ife North

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Adeyekun Taiwo Adebayo – Oriade

Adeniran Adenike Felicia – Ayedaade

Afolabi Oyekola Lukman – Ede South

Odunyemi Haruna Bukola – Ife East

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Jooda Ambali Babajide – Irewole

Adewale Adeyinka Oluwaseun – Odo Otin

Ogunbiyi Solomon Akinyemi – Ayedire

Raimi Adenike Nafisat – Ejigbo

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Adebisi Jayeola Nasir – Ila

Ilesanmi Taiwo Sunday – Ilesa East

Alade Aderemi Fatai – Orolu

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DSS arrests three for assaulting operatives during LSHA crisis

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested three persons linked to the alleged assault on its officers during the crisis that rocked the Lagos State House of Assembly, following the removal Mudashiru Obasa, as Speaker

Apparently sensing danger, some lawmakers had mobilized their supporters to the Assembly Complex, but these supporters allegedly attacked some DSS officers who were invited by the Assembly leadership to secure the facility. Security sources revealed that “after extensive analysis of CCTV footage, we were able to clearly identify three of the suspects”.
“The suspects, Ibrahim Olanrewaju Abdulkareem, a photographer and two others attached to the Assembly’s Seargent at Arms, Adetu Adekunle Samsudeen and Adetola Oluwatosin Fatimoh, a lady, were consequently tracked and arrested during the week in different parts of Lagos,” The trio have since confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court, the source said.

It would be recalled that the Lagos Assembly had in a leaked memo dated 14th February, 2025 and addressed to the DSS Director in the State, and Heads of other Security Agencies in Lagos State, told the Security Agencies in Lagos that, there was credible information to the effect that, Obasa had planned to forcefully reinstate himself today, February 18, 2025.
Accordingly, the Assembly management, held the view that, the development posed “a potential security threat” to it and its members.

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Police seal OSSIEC office, officials nabbed, says chairman

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, has claimed that the police have sealed off the headquarters in Osogbo.

In a video post on the OSSIEC X handle, Abioye accused the police of also arresting election officials and blocking journalists from covering the local government election.

According to him, several OSSIEC officials were detained while on their way to polling units on Saturday.

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Attempts by our correspondent to reach Abioye for further details proved abortive as his telephone line was switched off.

The OSSIEC chair, in the post, assured voters that materials had been deployed to affected areas.

So far so good, the reports have been positive and the conduct has been very smooth and peaceful as against the false alarm raised by the police. Everywhere is calm,” Abioye said.

“The only thing is that in some of the areas in which materials are supposed to have arrived for voters to cast their votes, we had reports of police arresting our officials.

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“I don’t know on whose order because there is no court order that warranted the arrest of officers of our officials.

“As it is, we have deployed materials to those units because we have enough on the ground.

For our people in the media community, I want to apologise for the inadequacy of the tags and the jackets because we have enough but the police sealed our office and that was not warranted at all.”

Abioye’s comments come after police had called for the local government election to be called off by the state government, citing a security threat.

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In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Friday, the Police said it received credible intelligence indicating a likelihood of violence and significant security threats should the planned elections proceed.

The police explained that reports gathered from joint intelligence gathering revealed that various groups, including political elements and other interested parties, are mobilising to instigate unrest, disrupt public peace and undermine the democratic order.

However, the Osun State government acknowledged the police’s advice but insisted on going on with the election.

Channels Television reports that the election eventually went on as scheduled on Saturday.

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