The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the newly enacte...
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 amid allegations that the laws were altered after being passed by the National Assembly.
The call followed comments by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, who last week insisted that the implementation date of January 1, 2026, for the Nigeria Tax Act and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act remains sacrosanct.
Speaking after a meeting attended by the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacchaeus Adedeji, and the Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee, Joseph Tegbe, Oyedele said the reforms were aimed at easing the tax burden on Nigerians and stimulating economic growth.
“The plan to commence the new laws on January 1, 2026, will go ahead as scheduled because these reforms are designed to provide relief to the Nigerian people,” Oyedele said.
According to him, about 98 per cent of workers would either pay no Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax or pay reduced rates, while 97 per cent of small businesses would be exempted from Corporate Income Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT), and Withholding Tax. He added that large businesses would also benefit from reduced tax obligations.
“The whole idea is to promote economic growth, inclusivity, and shared prosperity for our people,” he said.
Oyedele, however, welcomed the National Assembly’s decision to investigate allegations of alterations to the tax laws, assuring that the Federal Government was ready to work with lawmakers to address concerns raised by Nigerians, including opposition figures.
In a statement jointly signed by the Minority Leader, Rep. O.K. Chinda; the Minority Whip, Rt. Hon. Ali Isa J.C; the Deputy Minority Leader, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Madaki; and the Deputy Minority Whip, Rt. Hon. George Ozodinobi, the caucus urged the government to halt implementation until investigations are concluded.
“…we call on the government to suspend the implementation of the tax laws until investigations are concluded and there is clarity and certainty as to the law to be implemented,” the statement read.
The caucus stressed that Nigerians and the business community are entitled to access the authentic versions of the laws “they are expected to obey.”
The lawmakers assured the public that the Minority Caucus would ensure that any alleged illegalities in the gazetted tax laws are addressed in the national interest.
“We have noted with great consternation and an overwhelming sense of disappointment the current storm brewing over the tax reform laws duly passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement said.
While acknowledging that controversies are not unusual, the caucus said the seriousness of the allegations—bordering on unlawful alterations to laws passed by both chambers and signed by the President—was of grave concern.
The Minority Caucus disclosed that following the raising of the issue during plenary by a member of the House, a high-powered committee had been inaugurated to investigate claims that the tax laws were fraudulently altered, gazetted, and circulated to the public.
The lawmakers reaffirmed that the National Assembly remains the custodian of authentic copies of laws passed by the legislature, explaining that the gazetting process begins with the Clerk to the National Assembly transmitting certified copies to the appropriate federal agency.
They urged Nigerians to disregard any purported tax laws circulating without the signatures of the Clerk to the National Assembly and the President, describing such documents as fake and not reflective of what was passed by lawmakers.
“Any attempt to foist fake laws on Nigerians is an attack on the independence and constitutional role of the National Assembly in safeguarding our democracy,” the caucus warned.
The controversy was triggered by concerns raised by Rep. Abdussamad Dasuki, who alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions subsequently gazetted and made public.
Dasuki argued that his legislative rights had been breached, noting that lawmakers did not have access to the harmonised versions certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly for proper comparison.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently signed four tax reform bills into law, described by the government as the most comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system in decades. The laws—the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act—are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, and will operate under a unified authority, the Nigeria Revenue Service.
The reforms had earlier faced stiff opposition from some federal lawmakers, particularly from the northern part of the country, before their eventual passage.
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