Yuletide: House of Reps Asks FG To Grant Tax waivers To Airlines To Reduce Airfares

The House of Representatives has  asked the Federal Government to grant immediate tax waivers to airlines in a bid to reduce flight fares during the Yuletide season.

The lawmakers during their  plenary on Thursday in Abuja,  also called for a 50 percent reduction in auxiliary charges within the aviation industry.

The resolution came after a debate on the soaring cost of flight fares. However, the lawmakers rejected proposals to subsidize airline tickets.

It will be recalled that the Senate had earlier on Tuesday, summoned Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and other stakeholders over the rising flight tickets

Senator Buhari Abdulfatai from Oyo State, who led the debate, told lawmakers that Nigerians have been complaining about the rising cost of domestic flight tickets in recent months.

Abdulfatai disclosed that a one-way ticket from Abuja to Lagos now costs between N400,000 and N600,000, an amount many citizens can no longer afford.

“We need to invite stakeholders of our airline agencies to interact and interrogate the issues. Immediate steps must be taken before the festive period,” he said during plenary.

Other lawmakers, including Senator Adamu Aliero, echoed a similar sentiment.

Aliero described the fare increase as unacceptable, while Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi condemned what he tagged an unheard-of 400 percent increment.