Tax Laws: Minority caucus report on alterations overtaken by events

The deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese (APC, Benue), has said the interim report by the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee on alleged alterations in the Tax Reforms Acts has been overtaken by events, following the public release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the laws.

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Mr Agbese said this in a statement on Saturday, insisting that the leadership of the National Assembly had already resolved all concerns surrounding discrepancies discovered in the gazetted versions of the tax laws.

The controversy had erupted in December 2025, when a member of the House, Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), raised the alarm over apparent differences between the Tax Reforms Acts passed by the National Assembly, those assented to by President BolaTinubu, and the versions later gazetted.

The development sparked public outrage, with fears that provisions of the laws may have been altered outside the legislative process.

In response, the minority caucus constituted an ad-hoc committee to probe the matter.

In its interim report released on Friday, the committee said a comparison between the gazetted versions and the Certified True Copies obtained from the National Assembly confirmed that alterations had occurred, particularly in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.

The committee disclosed that at least three different versions of the Act were in circulation, describing it as a procedural anomaly that amounted to an illegal encroachment on the constitutional law-making powers of the National Assembly.

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Addressing the report, however, Mr Agbese said the leadership of the House, under Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, working with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, had taken decisive steps by releasing the authentic versions of the four Tax Reforms Acts as passed by the legislature and assented to by the president.

According to him, the publication of the Certified True Copies had effectively resolved the issues raised by the minority caucus and restored public confidence in the legislative process.

“The concerns raised regarding discrepancies in the tax laws have already been comprehensively addressed by the House leadership. With the release of the Certified True Copies of the Acts, there is now clarity as to what was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law,” Mr Agbese said.

He added that the speaker had also ordered an internal verification process to ensure that only the authentic versions of the laws remained in circulation, describing the move as proof of the House’s commitment to transparency, due process and institutional integrity.

Mr Agbese further noted that the joint actions taken by the leadership of both chambers demonstrated a united resolve to safeguard the constitutional authority of the legislature and prevent any erosion of its powers.

While acknowledging the minority caucus’ right to raise concerns in the interest of accountability, the deputy spokesperson maintained that the corrective steps already taken made further controversy unnecessary.

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“The House acted swiftly and responsibly. The leadership did not wait for public pressure to mount before intervening. The release of the Certified Acts has settled the matter and ensured that Nigerians are guided only by the lawful versions of the tax reforms,” he said.

He assured Nigerians that the House of Representatives would continue to work with the Senate and relevant institutions to strengthen legislative processes and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.