Tag: Tax laws

The Presidency has addressed the controversy surrounding Nigeria’s newly signed tax reform laws, with Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, urging the National Assembly to look into alleged discrepancies in the gazetted versions of the bills. Oyedele made the remarks on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, following calls from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and several civil society groups for the suspension of the laws’ implementation. The controversy began when House of Representatives member Abdulsamad Dasuki claimed that the tax bills passed by lawmakers differed from the versions later gazetted and made public. Dasuki argued that this violated his legislative rights, insisting that the final gazetted laws did not reflect what was actually debated and approved. Responding to the claims, Oyedele described circulating reports as misleading, noting that any alleged discrepancies could not be verified without access to the officially certified versions of the bills passed by the National Assembly. “Before you can say there is a difference between what was gazetted and what was passed, we don’t even have what was passed. Only the lawmakers can say authoritatively what they sent,” he said. He added that even members of the executive, including himself, only had access to the versions submitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent. Addressing concerns about a controversial Section 41(8) provision, which reportedly required a 20 per cent deposit, Oyedele said he had contacted the relevant House committee for clarification. “I know that particular provision is not in the final gazette, but it was in the draft. Some documents circulating publicly were prepared before the committee completed its work,” he explained. Oyedele urged patience, emphasizing that media reports did not come from the House committee and that an official investigation should be allowed to take place. President Tinubu recently signed four key tax reform bills—the Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act—describing them as the most significant overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system in decades. The laws are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026. According to the Federal Government, the reforms aim to simplify tax compliance, expand the tax base, eliminate multiple taxation, and modernize revenue collection across all levels of government.