Don’t Implement Tax Laws Now, Opposition Lawmakers Tell Executive

The minority caucus of the House of Representatives has appealed to the Executive arm of government to suspend the implementation of the tax laws until investigations were concluded and there was clarity and certainty of the law to be implemented.

The House is probing the alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted versions.

The caucus expressed support for the entire House to unravel the circumstances surrounding the illegality and ensure that the culprits are brought to justice in the interest of all Nigerians.

The opposition lawmakers made their position known in a statement released on Monday, jointly signed by the minority leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda; the minority whip, Hon. Ali Isa J.C.; the deputy minority leader, Hon. Aliyu Madaki; and the deputy minority whip, Hon. George Ozodinobi.

The caucus expressed disappointment with the current storm brewing over the tax reform acts that were duly passed by the National Assembly and signed adequately into law by President Bola Tinubu.

“Ordinarily, the controversy will have been dismissed as needless, but the gravity of the cause of the controversy is an issue of great concern to all Nigerians, especially since it borders on the accusations of unlawful alterations to the laws as passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently signed by the President.

“We are also aware that this issue has been raised by a member of the House of Representatives during one of our recent plenaries, following which the House inaugurated a high-powered committee to investigate the allegations made by the member that the tax laws have been fraudulently altered, gazetted, and the modified copy circulated to the public.

“We are aware of the legitimate procedures towards the gazetting of laws, and it starts with the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA) transmitting the actual copies of the laws to the relevant federal agency that gazettes all government documents, which means, the National Assembly is always the custodian of the genuine documents of the laws of the federation that have been passed, and, therefore, we will always make sure that it is the truth that prevails in moments of controversy such as this,” the statement reads in parts.

The opposition lawmakers called on Nigerians to disregard any purported tax laws being circulated without the signature of the CNA and the President and Commander-in-Chief.

According to them, such did not originate from the National Assembly and neither do they reflect the true character of what was actually passed by the Legislature and signed by the President.

“Any attempt to foist false laws on Nigerians is an attack on the independence and constitutional role of the National Assembly in safeguarding our democracy, and the caucus will unconditionally protect the freedom of the Legislature and our democracy.

“Consequently, 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, Nigerians and the business community are entitled to copies of the laws…,” the statement added.