Tax: FIRS- China Pact, Alleged Padding, Triggers Anxiety on Reforms Credibility

• Reps Set Up Probe Committee
• Opposition warns Tinubu “You can’t tax Hunger”
• FIRS-France MoU’ Direct National Security Threat…Expert

BY Bonny Amadi

Nigerians from diverse divides have risen in condemnation of disclosures concerning Nigerian tax reforms derived from the 2025 tax reform bill passed by the national assembly.

Revelations on the FIRS-China MoU which hands over the Nigerian tax system to a foreign country, development experts say, means trading the country’s sovereignty.

Also, allegations form the nation’s legislative chambers that the 2025 tax reform bill as passed by the national assembly, has been doctored, as the ones in circulation, contracts form the one endorsed by the assembly.

In the midst of all these, Nigerian opposition movement has decried as high handedness of the federal government, demonstrated in the new tax policy, which focused at taxing hunger.

On the FIRS-China contract, the House of Representatives has constituted an ad hoc committee to investigate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the French government on tax administration.

The committee is mandated to examine the con- tent, legality, and implications of the agreement, with particular attention to its compliance with Nigeria’s tax laws and its impact on national sovereignty and revenue administration.

This move follows concerns raised by lawmakers over transparency, due process, and the broader consequences of the MoU for Nigeria’s tax system.

The House assured Nigerians that the probe is aimed at safeguarding the country’s fiscal interests and ensuring account- ability in all international tax agreements entered into by government agencies.

…As Opposition Issues Stern Warning to Tinubu, says “You Can’t Tax Hunger”

Raising concerns, the National Opposition Movement (NOM) has sent a strong message to President Bola Tinubu, cautioning that his proposed tax reforms could further worsen the hardship Nigerians are already facing.

According to the group, millions of citizens are battling hunger, rising living costs, and growing insecurity, and introducing additional taxes at such a time could push many beyond their limits.

NOM described the idea of taxing people who are barely surviving as heartless and unjust, emphasizing that hunger and poverty cannot be solved through taxation.

They warned that forcing this tax policy without meaningful relief for the masses could plunge Nigeria’s economy and social stability into an even deeper crisis.

Moral lesson: Our leaders seem to have lost all sense of compassion. While Nigerians starve, children cry from empty stomachs, and families fight daily to survive, those in power act as though the people.