Alteration Controversy: Reps to FG, Suspend New Tax Laws

BONNY AMADI WITH AGENCY REPORTS

The Nigerian House of Representatives minority Caucus has called on the Federal Government to halt implementation of the planned tax laws following alleged falsifications, alteration controversies rocking the country.

The call for suspension followed insistence by Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, last week, that the date for the implementation of the Nigerian Tax Act and the Nigerian Tax Administration Act was sacrosanct.

“The plan to commence the new laws on January 1, 2026, will go ahead as planned on schedule because these reforms are designed to provide relief to the Nigerian people,” he said after the meeting, which was attended by the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacchaeus Adedeji, and the Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee, Joseph Tegbe.

“Bottom 98 per cent of workers will see either no Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax or lower taxes to be paid, small businesses 97 per cent of them will be exempted from Corporate Income Taxes, Value Added Tax (VAT), and Withholding Tax, and large businesses will see a drop in the taxes that they pay.

“The whole idea is to try and promote economic growth, inclusivity, as well as shared prosperity for our people,” he added.

Oyedele, however, welcomed the position of the National Assembly on the allegations about alteration.

He said the Federal Government was ready to work with the federal lawmakers to address the concerns raised by Nigerians, including opposition figures.

In a development, a statement issued and signed by Rep. O.K Chinda, Minority Leader, Rt. Hon. Ali Isa J.C, Minority Whip, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Madaki, Deputy Minority Leader, and Rt. Hon. George Ozodinobi, Deputy Minority Whip, called on FG to suspend tax law implementation until investigations are concluded.

“We call on the government to suspend the implementation of the tax laws until investigations are concluded and there is clarity and certainty of the law to be implemented.

Moreover, it said Nigerians and the business community are entitled to copies of the laws that “they are expected to obey.”

The Rep members assured that they will ensure that the alleged illegalities in the gazetted tax laws are addressed in the interest of Nigerians.