|By Chinwendu Nwani
The Presidency has rejected allegations of discrepancies in the newly signed tax reform laws, insisting that documents circulating in the media are not authentic.
The clarification followed claims by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, who alleged that the versions of the tax laws gazetted and released to the public differed from those passed by the National Assembly. Dasuki argued that the alleged discrepancies amounted to a violation of his legislative rights.
The allegations triggered calls from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and several civil society organisations, who urged the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the laws pending clarification.
However, speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, dismissed the claims, stating that the documents being circulated were not official.
Oyedele said there was no factual basis for comparing the laws passed by the National Assembly with the gazetted versions, noting that the officially harmonised bills certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly had not been made public.
He explained that only lawmakers could authoritatively confirm what was transmitted to the President, adding that even members of the tax reform committee did not have access to the certified harmonised versions.
“Before anyone can say there is a difference between what was gazetted and what was passed, we must have the version that was passed. What we have in circulation is not what was gazetted, and we do not have the certified version that was passed,” Oyedele said.
According to him, the harmonised bills sent to the President and certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly remain the only valid reference point, stressing that neither he nor members of the committee possess copies of those documents.
Oyedele further disclosed that the House of Representatives committee had informed him that it had not met on the matter, adding that the document in circulation did not originate from the committee.
He urged the public to exercise patience and allow the House of Representatives to conclude its investigation into the allegations.
