The Federal Government has dismissed the authenticity of documents circulating in the media alleging discrepancies in recently passed tax reform laws, insisting that there is currently no basis for such comparisons.
The Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, said the officially harmonised versions of the bills passed by the National Assembly have not been made public, making any claims of differences premature.
Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Oyedele stressed that the documents in circulation were not authentic and did not represent the certified versions transmitted to the President.
“Before anyone can say there is a difference between what was gazetted and what was passed, we must have what was actually passed,” he said. “What we have not been gazetted, and we don’t have what was passed.”
According to him, only the National Assembly can authoritatively state what was transmitted to the President, as neither he nor members of the tax reform committee have access to the certified harmonised bills.
“The official harmonised bills certified by the clerk and sent to the President are not in our possession,” Oyedele said. “Even I do not have a copy. I only have what was presented to Mr President for assent.”
Oyedele further disclosed that the House of Representatives committee handling the matter had informed him that it had not convened on the issue, adding that the document circulating in the public domain did not originate from the committee.
He urged the public to allow the House of Representatives to complete its investigation into the allegations.
The clarification followed claims by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, who alleged that the tax laws gazetted and released to the public differed from those passed by the National Assembly, arguing that his legislative rights had been violated.
In response to the allegation, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and several civil society organisations called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the laws pending clarification.
The controversy stems from the recent passage of a package of tax reform bills by the National Assembly as part of the Federal Government’s broader fiscal reform agenda aimed at expanding the tax base, improving revenue collection and reducing leakages in the system.
The bills, which were forwarded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent, seek to streamline multiple tax laws, address overlapping taxes, and improve ease of doing business, particularly for small and medium-scale enterprises.
Following the passage of the bills, some versions of the proposed tax laws began circulating in the media and on social platforms, triggering public debate over alleged alterations between what lawmakers approved and what was subsequently gazetted.
The debate intensified after a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, alleged that the gazetted versions differed from those passed by the legislature, claiming that such discrepancies amounted to a violation of legislative procedure and lawmakers’ rights.
The allegation prompted calls from opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as well as some civil society organisations, urging the Federal Government to suspend implementation of the laws pending clarification.
In response, the Federal Government and the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee have maintained that the officially harmonised and certified versions of the bills passed by the National Assembly have not yet been released to the public, insisting that only the legislature can authoritatively confirm the content of the final documents transmitted to the President.
