The Presidency has responded to growing concerns over Nigeria’s new tax laws, insisting that reports suggesting discrepancies between what lawmakers passed and what was made public are misleading.
The clarification follows calls by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and several civil society groups for the suspension of the tax reforms scheduled to take effect on January 1.
Tension heightened after Abdulsamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives, alleged that the versions of the tax laws available to the public did not align with what legislators debated and approved.
According to him, the situation amounted to a violation of lawmakers’ legislative authority.
However, the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, dismissed those claims on Monday, describing the circulating documents as unauthorised and inaccurate.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Oyedele said comparisons being made were fundamentally flawed.
He argued that there is no officially gazetted version available for such claims to be substantiated.
“You cannot establish a difference when there is no confirmed final document to compare against,” Oyedele said.
“The only valid reference should be the harmonised bill certified by the National Assembly and forwarded to the President.”
Moreover, he explained that even members of the executive arm do not have access to the legislature’s certified copy.
According to him, only lawmakers can definitively state what was transmitted after internal harmonisation.
Oyedele also addressed controversy surrounding a reported provision requiring taxpayers to pay a 20 per cent deposit under Section 41(8).
He revealed that the clause appeared in an early draft but was not included in the final document presented to the President.
“I personally reached out to the House committee handling the bill, and their response was clear, they had not concluded deliberations on that section,” he said.
Furthermore, Oyedele suggested that premature reporting worsened public confusion.
He said certain documents were circulated before the relevant legislative committee completed its work.
“What people are reacting to did not originate from the committee officially mandated by the House,” he added.
“It is important to allow lawmakers conclude their internal review before drawing conclusions.”
As debates continue, the Presidency has urged the public to rely on verified legislative processes, stressing that any genuine concerns should be addressed through institutional channels rather than speculation.