Wetin you dey hear? E be like say wahala don land for Naija tax laws as House of Representatives minority caucus don investigate illegal changes wey dem make for the recent tax reform laws. Dem no dey carry last, as dem don confirm say some laws wey our president, Bola Tinubu, sign, get serious discrepancies.
This matter come to limelight when one of di members, Abdulsamad Dasuki, talk say e don see different version of di tax laws wey no match wetin di lawmakers don pass. Since den, na investigation wey no go be small, as di minority caucus don vow to protect di integrity of di National Assembly.
Led by Kingsley Chinda, dem form committee wey dey chaired by Victor Ogene to find out wetin really dey happen. E no sweet for dem say dem find out say di Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, dey among di laws wey get serious alterations.
For January 3, 2026, speaker Tajudeen Abbas don release di correct versions of di four tax reform Acts. Dem be: Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025. Reality don show say di certified copies wey dem release no match wetin dey for gazette.
Di committee don identify several areas wey dey raise eyebrow. For instance, under Section 29(1), dem don reduce di individual threshold from N50m to N25m. Dem dey accuse di executive of trying to pull more people enter tax net, which na serious gbege!
Wetin dey shock pass? Section 41 of di gazetted version don introduce new laws wey require 20% deposit on disputed tax sums before person fit appeal to di High Court. Na wetin we call legislation by force?
Di committee still catch dem for Section 64, where di gazetted Act don add enforcement power wey fit allow tax authorities to arrest people and sell dem property without court order. Abeg, who dem wan turn to lawman?
Moreover, di alterations for di petroleum taxes and VAT wey dey remove from di definition of federal taxes na fire wey dey spell disaster for di powers of di National Assembly. Dem dey even plan to compute petroleum operations in dollars instead of di local currency wey people dey use. Na wetin we call, ‘Wetin you fit do?’
Di committee no gree leniency again, dem don ask for more time to investigate di matter deeper. Dem don raise red flags about these anomalies wey fit undermine our democracy. E no go sweet to see any ‘illegalities’ wey fit shake di power wey National Assembly get to make laws for di country.
As dis saga dey unfold, make we dey watch how our lawmakers go take handle dis gbege. We no go like hear say dem dey change laws wey go affect our pockets without our consent! Naija, una ready for any updates wey go come out from dis matter! Make we dey sharp, as we go keep una in di loop!
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