At the sitting of the parliament on Tuesday, they asked the government to raise taxes on goods consider used by the elites, which has been a subject of controversy for a very long time now.
Only last month, the minister of budget told the parliament that the government is considering raising Value Added Tax (VAT) as part of measures to boost revenue to fund this year's budget.
Africa’s largest economy, which has one of the lowest tax rates on the continent, relies on crude oil sales for much of government revenues.
In the past the government has mulled the idea of raising taxes on luxury goods to 15 percent from the current rate of 5 percent, to boost its tax to GDP ratio to 15 percent from 6 percent between 2017 and 2020.
But collection has been a major challenge in a country where many small businesses are not registered. Also, economists say the timing of a tax hike would be closely watched as companies and consumers face cost pressures in a time of slow growth.
In elections in February, President Muhammadu Buhari won a second four-year term that will start in May. He has pledged to revive the economy and boost growth through spending on roads and railways.
The Senate said the government was budgeting for a deficit of 1.86 trillion naira ($6.1 bln) in 2019 to be funded via borrowing, privatisation proceeds and loans secured for specific projects.
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