Tax Reform: Reps minority caucus demands suspension of implementation over alleged alterations

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has called on the federal government to suspend the implementation of the newly enacted tax reform laws pending the conclusion of investigations into allegations that the laws were altered after being passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Tinubu.

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In a statement issued on Sunday and jointly signed by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda; Deputy Minority Leader, Ali Isa; Minority Whip, Aliyu Madaki; and Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi, the caucus described the controversy surrounding the tax laws as troubling and deserving of thorough investigation.

“We call on the government to suspend the implementation of the tax laws until investigations are concluded and there is clarity and certainty of the law to be implemented,” part of the statement read,

The lawmakers said the allegations, which centre on claims that versions of the tax laws gazetted and circulated to the public differ from what was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, could not be dismissed as trivial, given their implications for the rule of law and legislative integrity.

“The gravity of the cause of the controversy is an issue of great concern to all Nigerians, especially since it borders on the accusations of unlawful alterations to the laws as passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently signed by the president,” the caucus said.

The caucus confirmed that the issue was formally brought to the attention of the House during plenary by a member, Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), who raised concerns over alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by parliament and the versions later gazetted and made public.

Mr Dasuki had noted that certain provisions appeared to have been altered outside the legislative process, raising questions about the authenticity and legality of the circulating documents.

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Following the lawmaker’s intervention, the House, at plenary the next day, resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations of fraudulent alteration, gazetting and circulation of the tax laws.

According to the minority caucus, the decision to set up the committee underscores the seriousness of the matter and the need to protect the constitutional role of the legislature.

“We want to assure Nigerians that the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives will stand with the entire House to see that the circumstances surrounding this illegality are exposed and the culprits brought to book in the interest of justice for all Nigerians,” the statement said.

National Assembly moves to re-gazette Acts

Amid the controversy, the leadership of the National Assembly last Friday announced measures to address the dispute and restore public confidence in the legislative process.

The leadership disclosed that it had directed the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA) to re-gazette the tax reform Acts and issue certified true copies of the versions duly passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The move, according to the leadership, is aimed at ensuring that only the authentic texts approved by parliament and assented to by the president are in circulation.

The Minority Caucus reiterated that, by law, the National Assembly remains the custodian of the genuine versions of all Acts of the federation, as the CNA is responsible for transmitting duly passed laws to the appropriate federal agency for gazetting.

They therefore urged Nigerians to disregard any purported tax laws in circulation that do not bear the signatures of the CNA and the President.

“Such did not originate from the National Assembly, and neither do they reflect the true character of what was actually passed by the Legislature and signed by the president,” the caucus said.

Any attempt to impose what it described as “fake laws” on Nigerians, the caucus warned, amounts to an attack on the independence of the legislature and a threat to democratic governance.

READ ALSO: Tax Reform: Reps order re-gazetting of Acts amid discrepancy claims

Implementation

The implementation of the tax reform laws is scheduled to commence on 1 January 2026.

The Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has cautioned against delaying the implementation beyond that date.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief last Monday (22 December), Mr Oyedele warned that postponing the reforms would have serious consequences for workers and businesses.

According to him, as many as 98 per cent of Nigerian workers would continue to be subjected to multiple taxation if the new tax laws are not enforced as planned.