By Peter Adelowo
The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has confirmed that some recently gazetted tax laws were altered after being passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This was contained in an interim report of the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee on Tax Laws, set up to investigate discrepancies between tax reform Acts passed by lawmakers and the versions published in the official gazette.
According to the committee, a comparison of the Certified True Copies released by the House with earlier gazetted versions revealed illegal alterations, particularly in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
The panel emphasized that multiple versions of the Act were in circulation, raising serious constitutional and procedural concerns.
Key changes identified include reduced reporting thresholds for individuals and companies, the insertion of new provisions requiring taxpayers to deposit 20 per cent of disputed tax sums before filing appeals, and expanded enforcement powers for tax authorities without court orders.
The committee also noted the removal of National Assembly oversight powers from the National Revenue Service Act in the gazetted version, describing it as a violation of legislative authority and checks and balances.
Describing the findings as an affront to democracy, the panel said the matter requires further investigation and has requested an extension of time to carry out a comprehensive probe.
