The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to suspend the rollout of the proposed tax laws amid allegations of alterations that have sparked nationwide concern.
The demand for a pause comes despite the firm stance taken last week by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, who maintained that the commencement date for the Nigerian Tax Act and the Nigerian Tax Administration Act remains non-negotiable.
“The plan to commence the new laws on January 1, 2026, will go ahead as planned on schedule because these reforms are designed to provide relief to the Nigerian people,” he said 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.
“Bottom 98 per cent of workers will see either no Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax or lower taxes to be paid, small businesses 97 per cent of them will be exempted from Corporate Income Taxes, Value Added Tax (VAT), and Withholding Tax, and large businesses will see a drop in the taxes that they pay.
“The whole idea is to try and promote economic growth, inclusivity, as well as shared prosperity for our people,” he added.
Despite this position, Oyedele expressed support for the National Assembly’s decision to probe the alleged alterations. He stated that the Federal Government is prepared to collaborate with lawmakers to resolve the issues raised by Nigerians, including those voiced by opposition leaders.
Meanwhile, a joint statement signed by Minority Leader Rep. O.K. Chinda, Minority Whip Rt. Hon. Ali Isa J.C., Deputy Minority Leader Rt. Hon. Aliyu Madaki, and Deputy Minority Whip Rt. Hon. George Ozodinobi urged the Federal Government to halt implementation of the tax laws pending the conclusion of investigations.
“…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.”
The caucus further stressed that Nigerians and the business community have a right to access the exact versions of the laws “they are expected to obey.”
The lawmakers assured the public of their commitment to ensuring that any alleged irregularities in the gazetted tax laws are corrected 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 that were duly passed by the National Assembly and properly signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“Ordinarily, the controversy will have been dismissed as needless, but 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.
“We are also aware that this issue has been raised by a member of the House of Representatives during one of our recent plenaries, following which the House innugurated a high-powered committee to investigate the allegations made by the member that the tax laws have been fraudulently altered, gazetted and the altered copy circulated to the public.
“As such, 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 is exposed and the culprits brought to book in the interest of justice for all Nigerians.
“We are aware that the legitimate procedure for gazetting laws begins with the Clerk to the National Assembly transmitting the authentic copies to the relevant federal agency, making the National Assembly the custodian of the genuine laws of the federation.”
The caucus advised Nigerians to disregard any tax laws circulating without the signatures of the Clerk to the National Assembly and the President and Commander-in-Chief.
“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 controversy intensified after House member Abdussamad Dasuki raised concerns over discrepancies between the tax laws approved by lawmakers and the versions later gazetted and released to the public.
“Before you can say there is a difference between what was gazetted and what was passed, we have what has not been gazetted. We don’t have what was passed,” he said.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier signed four tax reform bills into law, which the government described as the most significant overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system in decades.
The laws are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, and include the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, all to be administered under a single authority, the Nigeria Revenue Service.
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