The House of Representatives has raised concerns over alleged discrepancies between newly gazetted tax laws and the versions passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The issue was brought to the fore during Wednesday’s plenary session by Abdussamad Dasuki, a lawmaker, who invoked the matter of privilege to alert his colleagues to what he described as unauthorized alterations in the tax legislation.
Dasuki told the House that a careful review of the gazetted copy of the tax laws revealed clauses that differ from the harmonized versions approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives. He said the discovery followed a thorough examination of official legislative records from both chambers.
According to him, the differences represent a serious breach of legislative procedure and an infringement on the constitutional role of lawmakers.
“I rise today because my privilege as a member of this House has been violated,” Dasuki said. “We debated and passed the tax bills on this floor. However, after examining the gazetted version and cross-checking it with the votes and proceedings of both the House and the Senate, it is clear that what is currently in circulation is not what was passed.”
He further alleged that the version of the law being made available to the public, including copies distributed through the Ministry of Information, does not reflect the final text agreed upon by the National Assembly.
The lawmaker urged the House leadership to immediately compare the harmonized legislative documents with the gazetted copy to establish the source and extent of the discrepancies.
Calling for urgent legislative action, Dasuki appealed for all relevant documents to be presented before the Committee of the Whole, saying this would allow lawmakers to review the legislation and effect necessary corrections.
He warned that allowing such discrepancies to stand would undermine the integrity of the lawmaking process and amount to a violation of the Constitution.
“This is not a minor issue. It is a clear breach of the Constitution and our laws, and it must not be ignored by this Honourable House,” he said.
In his response, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, acknowledged the concerns raised and assured lawmakers that the leadership would thoroughly examine the matter.
Abbas said the House would take appropriate steps to resolve the issue in the overall interest of the country, stressing the need to uphold the sanctity of legislative procedures and public confidence in the National Assembly.
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