The controversies surrounding the Tax Reform bills in the North appear not to be abating.

After the presidency deflated the initial arguments that it was aimed at impoverishing the North by reducing its allocations, and scrapping notable government agencies like National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), the North appears to have come up with a new argument that claimed that some parts of the bills are antithetical to Islam.

In the North, Sunday Sun investigations revealed that politics is like a war, and in prosecuting any battle in the North, be it political or otherwise, religion and ethnicity play major roles. This perhaps, may be responsible for the new twist.

Before the townhall on Tax Reform bills, put together by a national television station last Monday, there was no issue about the bills being against the law of inheritance, as enshrined in the Sharia law. However, soon after the event, where former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who had opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the build up to the 2023 presidential election, spoke vociferously in support of the bills, asking northern leaders to drop their opposition to the bills and embrace them for North’s prosperity, then, came the issue of the bills being antithetical to Islam.

Speaking exclusively with Sunday Sun on Friday, Kano-born Baba Yusuf, Group CEO of Global Investment and Trade Company, disclosed that even though he did not see anywhere in the bill where it is mentioned that tax would be deducted from inheritance, he had read on some northern WhatsApp platforms where respected professors of northern extraction and clerics are saying that some sections of the bills are against Islam.

Specifically, Yusuf, who like Dogara was one of the panellists at the Tax Reform Bills Townhall, noted that the chapter, the professors and clerics are relying on to misinform the populace was quoted in error.

According to him, “those respectable scholars are making specific reference to Chapter 2, Part 1, Section 4, sub-section 3 of the National Tax Bill; titled ‘Income, profits or gains chargeable to tax’.

“This section states and I quote, ‘Income of a family recognised under any law or custom in Nigeria as family income in which several interests of individual members of the family cannot be separately determined.’ I did not see anywhere it states that inheritance is deductable, which is forbidden in Islam.

“If there is another section, other than the one I just quoted, I am not aware. Peradventure, even if there is this proposal in the bill, it is not yet a law, it has just been placed before the National Assembly for legislation. Let’s go there and make our position known. In adopting this strategy, I drew inspiration from the Holy Quran, in Surah Al-Anbiya, that is Chapter 21 verse 7, where Allah admonishes Muslims to seek for knowledge and understanding on matters that are beyond their understanding.

“To this end, I want to appeal to our religious leaders and intellectuals that when there are matters that have to do with economics, politics, or indeed areas that require specific expertise, which are beyond their scope or understanding, they should consult experts in that area.

“In any case, we have very sound and intelligent Northern Nigerians who can objectively evaluate such specialist areas. I will also suggest that religious leaders and traditional rulers should speak last on matters such as this or midway, that way, they would have gotten full briefing from diverse opinions, which will guide their contemplations as they guide us their followers. For me, there is nothing in those bills that is antithetical to Islam.”

He appealed to northerners not to be combative about the reform bills, saying “those opposed to the bills from the North are speaking as if they are from Biafra, and the only reason they are doing that is because the governors have another vested interest. That is why they have suddenly become activists even when they are unable to account for the huge allocations they have been receiving since the removal of fuel subsidy. I believe that allowing politicians to push us to reject the bill will not be in the interest of Muslims, northern Nigerians, and Nigerians in general. So, rather than be combative, we should debate, engage, consult and even lobby where necessary.”

On their part, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) noted that it has yet to take a position on the matter.

ACF National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba told Sunday Sun that the Forum has constituted a committee to scrutinise the bills, adding that until the committee completes its jobs, ACF cannot take a stand.

“ACF is yet to take a position on the matter, but has constituted an ad hoc committee to scrutinise all the four bills, gather facts and opinions on the basis of which to make recommendations. It is only after the committee completes its job and submits its report that ACF will take a stance,” the group’s spokesperson said.

Speaking on the propriety of the bills, Dogara, who revealed that some northern leaders did not support his attendance of the Townhall, noted that in the country’s recent history, there was no bill that has been better put together in terms of details, benefits, and purpose like the Tax Reform bills, just as he lashed out at the governors and northern leaders who are opposed to the bills, saying they better embrace the bills so that the North could witness prosperity.

“Intelligence is not about going to TV stations to be telling us the schools you went and grade you had, intelligence is about providing solutions, otherwise, you’re just a mere content creator. It is ridiculous to say President Tinubu wants to introduce AlphaBeta and that is why he’s introducing a new tax bill. If he wanted to do that, what stopped him from doing it now? This president is not a coward.

“No northern leader will ever do what President Tinubu has done by creating Livestock Ministry for the North. If we get it right, the North won’t need to share VAT from another state. The creation of Livestock Ministry by President Tinubu is the greatest service to the North by any president in our history. We only need to grab five per cent of the global market. We don’t need VAT from anyone.

“At the state level, how many governors consult when they are making laws? I’m not challenging them; as a matter of fact, in some cases, state laws are written from the living rooms of governors. So, we should remove the cap of regionalism, the cap of sectionalism, the cap of religion and put on the cap of leadership because that is what will resolve the current problem we have,” Dogara declared.

THE SUN