Suspend Tax Law Implementation, Bar Association Tells Tinubu

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) states that the controversies surrounding the recently enacted tax reform acts raise doubts about the integrity and transparency of Nigeria’s lawmaking process.

On Wednesday, Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives from Sokoto, claimed that the gazetted tax laws are different from the version passed by the National Assembly.

In response, the House of Representatives constituted a seven-member committee to investigate the alleged discrepancies.

In a statement on Tuesday signed by Afam Osigwe, its president, the NBA said the issues arising from the passage of the laws “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process”.

“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” the statement reads.

“The Nigerian Bar Association considers it imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”

The association urged that all plans for implementing the tax reform acts be immediately suspended until the issues are thoroughly examined and resolved.

“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the statement added.

“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law.

“Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.

“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach.

“Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.”

The body called on all relevant authorities to “act swiftly and responsibly” in addressing the controversy, in the overriding interest of “constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law”.