House Moves to End Tax Law Confusion, Releases Certified Copies of Tinubu’s Reform Acts

By Peter Salami

The House of Representatives has released certified true copies of the four tax reform Acts recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, following mounting public controversy over alleged alterations to the legislation.

The move followed concerns raised during plenary over discrepancies between versions of the tax laws circulating in the public domain and the texts debated and passed by the National Assembly.

Acting in concurrence with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, during the weekend, directed the immediate release of the certified copies, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by the President, to enable public verification.

The Acts released 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 controversy erupted after a Sokoto lawmaker, Abdussamad Dasuki, raised a point of privilege, alerting the House to what he described as inconsistencies between certain versions of the tax laws in circulation and the legislation passed by parliament. He warned that failure to address the issue could undermine public confidence in both the laws and the legislative process.

Following his intervention, the House resolved to investigate the matter, prompting an internal verification of the Acts and the public release of the certified versions to clarify the situation.

In a statement, the House spokesman, Mr. Akin Rotimi, said the action underscored Speaker Abbas’s commitment to transparency, legislative integrity, and public trust.

“Acting promptly, the Speaker ordered an internal verification and the immediate public release of the certified Acts to eliminate doubt, restore clarity, and protect the sanctity of the legislative record,” the statement said.

Rotimi noted that the four laws form the backbone of Nigeria’s contemporary tax reform framework, aimed at modernising revenue administration, improving compliance, reducing inefficiencies, and strengthening fiscal coordination across the federation.

He quoted the Speaker as assuring Nigerians that the National Assembly remains an institution guided by due process, strict record-keeping, and clear parliamentary procedures.

“The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory,” Abbas said. “Once a law is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and custody by the legislature. There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law.”

The House advised the public, institutions, and professionals to disregard any versions of the tax Acts not certified and released by the National Assembly, stressing that such documents do not form part of the official legislative record.

It also disclosed that the Clerk to the National Assembly has completed the process of aligning the certified Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure uniformity, while hard copies have been circulated to lawmakers and made available to the public.

Meanwhile, the House said the Ad-Hoc Committee set up to investigate the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax laws will continue its work to determine how the discrepancies arose and to recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.