The minority caucus of the House of Representatives has said its investigation shows that key tax reform laws were altered illegally after being passed by the National Assembly and signed by the President.
Gatekeepers News reports that the caucus raised the alarm in an interim report released on Friday, saying multiple versions of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, and other tax reform Acts are currently in circulation.
Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, chairman of the seven-member fact-finding committee set up by the caucus, said lawmakers compared the Certified True Copies (CTCs) released by the House with the versions that were gazetted and found that they do not match, especially the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025. The panel said at least three different versions of that Act are circulating, showing clear discrepancies that should not exist in authentic laws.
One of the differences identified involves reporting thresholds. The certified version passed by the National Assembly set the tax compliance reporting threshold at ₦50 million for individuals and ₦100 million for companies, but the version published by the Federal Government Printing Press reportedly lowered the individual threshold to ₦25 million and changed the company threshold, a move the caucus described as an attempt to widen the tax net unlawfully.
The panel also said the gazetted copy included new provisions that were not approved by lawmakers, such as mandatory deposits for taxpayers wishing to appeal tribunal decisions, expanded enforcement powers for tax authorities, and altered definitions of certain federal taxes. These changes, it said, undermine the constitutional authority of the National Assembly, which alone has the power to make laws.
The caucus’s concerns grew after Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki raised the alarm in December that the laws available to the public did not reflect what was passed by lawmakers, prompting Speaker Abbas Tajudeen to order the release of the four tax reform Acts for public verification.
In response to the controversy, the minority caucus has called for a deeper investigation and more time to examine the evidence and ensure accountability, insisting that the proper version of the law must be clear before it is implemented.
