The House of Representatives Minority Caucus has raised fresh alarm over what it describes as a brazen attempt to undermine the authority of the National Assembly, after a fact-finding committee confirmed that the tax laws recently signed by President Bola Tinubu were altered in the versions published in the official gazette.
In an interim report released on January 23, 2026, the Minority Caucus said discrepancies exist between the certified copies of the tax laws released by the House and the versions circulating publicly. The committee, set up by the caucus on January 2, was tasked with investigating allegations of illegal alterations following a warning raised on the floor of the House by Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki.
Dasuki had drawn attention to the circulation of a different version of the tax laws, prompting the caucus to declare that any attempt to foist fake laws on Nigerians would amount to an attack on the independence of the legislature and the country’s democracy.
The fact-finding panel, chaired by Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, compared the certified versions of the four tax reform Acts with the versions already gazetted and found “significant alterations”, particularly in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
The committee noted that three different versions of the Act were in circulation, a development it described as “deeply concerning” and a clear indication of procedural irregularities.
The four tax reform laws in question are the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, had on January 3 ordered the release of certified copies of the laws for public record and verification, and also directed an internal review to ensure the acts aligned with the Federal Government Printing Press.
The Minority Caucus committee’s findings highlighted several contentious changes in the gazetted version of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act.
Among them is the alteration of reporting thresholds for tax compliance. While the certified version set thresholds at N50 million for individuals and N100 million for companies, the gazetted version lowered the threshold for individuals to N25 million, and reduced the company threshold to N100 million from N250 million.
The report also noted that the gazetted version introduced a new requirement for taxpayers to deposit 20 per cent of disputed tax amounts before appealing to the High Court, a provision absent in the authentic law.
Other changes include the expansion of enforcement powers, allowing tax authorities to arrest suspected offenders and sell seized assets without a court order, and a redefinition of federal taxes that removed petroleum income tax and VAT, a move the committee described as an affront to the exclusive powers of the National Assembly.
The panel also raised concerns over the removal of parliamentary oversight provisions in the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act. The certified version required quarterly and annual reporting to the National Assembly, but the gazetted version reportedly deleted the provision, undermining the legislature’s role in checks and balances.
The committee described the anomalies as a “grave concern” and said the evidence warrants deeper investigation. It has requested an extension to continue its probe.
The interim report has reignited tensions between the legislature and the executive, as Nigerians continue to grapple with the implications of the new tax laws and the integrity of the legislative process.
The Minority Caucus said it remains committed to protecting the independence of the National Assembly and ensuring that no fake or altered laws are imposed on the country.
