Lawmakers May Delay January 2026 Rollout Amid Alleged Alterations — Oyedele

Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has stated that the National Assembly has the constitutional authority to suspend the planned implementation of Nigeria’s tax reform laws set for January 2026.

In an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Oyedele responded to allegations that parts of the tax laws passed by the National Assembly were altered in the gazetted copies.

He clarified that while the accusation of alteration had emerged recently, there had already been mounting calls for the suspension of the reforms from certain quarters.

According to Oyedele, the opposition to the tax reforms stems largely from misinformation and fear rather than from the substance of the laws themselves.

Oyedele’s Position on the Matter

The tax reform committee chairman emphasised that any decision to postpone the implementation of the law is beyond his committee’s jurisdiction and rests solely with the lawmakers.

“If we even want to postpone the implementation of the law, it has to be the lawmakers. That’s far beyond my pay grade,” Oyedele remarked. “That decision must be made by them, and I believe it will depend on the findings from their investigation into the matter.”

However, Oyedele warned that any suspension of the reforms would mean continuing with a tax system that disproportionately burdens low-income earners and small businesses.

• He noted that under the current system, about 98% of workers are overtaxed, while small businesses face multiple taxes without benefiting from exemptions.

• He added that if the reforms are delayed, minimum taxes would continue to apply to low-income earners and non-profitable businesses.

• Oyedele further highlighted that the existing Value-Added Tax (VAT) structure continues to drive up the cost of essential goods such as food, healthcare, and education, while wasteful tax incentives remain in place.

“We need to be clear about what we are asking for,” Oyedele stressed, urging that any calls for suspension be weighed against the economic and social costs of maintaining the status quo.

Proceeding with the Law as Passed

Oyedele emphasised that if investigations reveal significant alterations were made to the tax laws after passage, those altered provisions should be treated as invalid.

His recommendation is to proceed with implementing the law as passed by the National Assembly while separately addressing the introduction of the disputed provisions and determining corrective actions.

He accused certain groups of inciting opposition to the reforms by spreading fear and misinformation, despite the reforms being designed to benefit the broader population.

Systemic Weaknesses and Manual Processes

On the alleged discrepancies, Oyedele pointed to systemic weaknesses within the legislative and executive processes, particularly the reliance on manual handling of documents.

He explained that amendments to bills pass through several stages—from legislative debates to harmonisation between the House of Representatives and the Senate, legal review at the Ministry of Justice, presidential assent, and eventual gazetting—each of which involves manual handling.

According to Oyedele, the lack of strong quality assurance mechanisms at these stages leaves room for errors or unintended changes, not only in the tax laws but across other legislation as well.

He suggested that this controversy should be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s lawmaking and gazetting processes, ensuring that laws passed by the National Assembly accurately reflect legislative intent and are not tampered with during their passage.

Backstory: Alleged Alterations in the Tax Laws

Last week, Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), a member of the House of Representatives, raised concerns over alleged discrepancies between the newly gazetted tax reform laws and the versions passed by the National Assembly.

Dasuki claimed that his review of the gazetted copies revealed material differences from what was debated, harmonised, and approved by both the House and the Senate. He stated that after comparing the vote and proceedings of the House, the Senate’s records, and the harmonised versions with the gazetted copies in circulation, he noticed alterations.

The House has since promised to investigate the claims, fuelling calls for the suspension of the tax reforms set for implementation in January 2026.