Reps Publish Official Tax Acts to Quell Discrepancy Controversy

339

The House of Representatives has released the official certified versions of the four tax reform Acts recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, in a move to address widespread claims that unauthorised and altered copies of the laws were being circulated.

The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Saturday by the spokesman of the House, Akin Rotimi, who said the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, ordered the immediate public release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs), complete with the presidential endorsement and assent pages.

According to Rotimi, the decision was taken jointly with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, following mounting concerns that some versions of the laws available to the public did not reflect what was passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President.

The issue was first raised on the floor of the House by Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), who alerted lawmakers to alleged inconsistencies between the tax bills approved by parliament and the versions that were later gazetted by the executive.

Dasuki warned that allowing such discrepancies to persist could erode public trust in the legislative process and weaken the integrity of Nigeria’s law-making system. His motion sparked intense debate among legislators and prompted calls from lawyers, tax professionals and civil society groups for an immediate clarification and suspension of implementation of the laws.

In response, Speaker Abbas set up a seven-member ad hoc committee to investigate the matter. The panel is chaired by Aliyu Betara, with Idris Wase, Sada Soli, Adedeji Faleke, Igariwey Iduma, Fred Agbedi and Babajimi Benson as members.

The committee was tasked with uncovering how the alleged alterations occurred, identifying the source of the unauthorised versions and recommending safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The four Acts now released by the House are:

  • Nigeria Tax Act, 2025

  • Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025

  • National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025

  • Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025

The House described the legislation as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s tax reform drive, designed to modernise revenue collection, improve tax compliance, streamline administration, eliminate duplication and strengthen coordination across federal, state and local government tax authorities.

Rotimi noted that Speaker Abbas provided strong leadership throughout the reform process, from stakeholder engagement and committee reviews to clause-by-clause scrutiny and extensive debates on the floor of the House, to ensure the laws were transparent, inclusive and responsive to Nigeria’s fiscal challenges.

Reassuring the public, Rotimi said the National Assembly operates a strict record-keeping and certification process that leaves no ambiguity about the content of laws duly passed and signed.

“The only authentic and authoritative versions of the four tax Acts are the certified copies released by the National Assembly,” he stated, urging Nigerians, institutions and professionals to ignore any other documents in circulation that lack legislative certification.

He added that any version not certified by parliament does not form part of the official legislative record and should be treated as invalid.

Comments are closed.