THE National Assembly has formally disowned four recently gazetted tax laws that sparked public controversy over alleged discrepancies between the versions passed by lawmakers and those circulated to the public.
Late Saturday, the legislature released Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the tax laws as approved by both chambers and transmitted to the President for assent, distancing itself from the controversial gazetted versions.
A comparison of the CTCs with the earlier gazetted documents shows that the disputed alterations have been corrected, with the National Assembly affirming only the versions it originally passed.
The four laws, which came into effect on January 1, are the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, and the Nigeria Tax Act.
The laws were passed in March, with Votes and Proceedings issued in May, and received presidential assent in June.
Although they were gazetted on June 26, concerns were raised in December by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, who alleged that the gazetted versions differed materially from those approved by lawmakers.
In response, the House Spokesman, Akin Rotimi, said Speaker Abbas Tajudeen acting in concurrence with Senate President Godswill Akpabio—directed the immediate release of the CTCs, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to allow public verification.
According to the statement, the move underscores the leadership’s commitment to transparency and legislative integrity, noting that an internal verification was promptly ordered once inconsistencies were identified.
The National Assembly remains an institution of records, governed by established procedures that safeguard the authenticity of every law enacted, the statement said, adding that only the certified versions released by the legislature constitute the authentic and authoritative laws.
The Assembly advised the public and stakeholders to disregard any other versions in circulation that are not certified, stressing that such documents have no legal standing.
Findings show that several contentious alterations in the gazetted copies ranging from tax administration powers and reporting thresholds to oversight functions and funding provisions were removed, with the original versions passed by the National Assembly restored in the CTCs.
Meanwhile, the Clerk to the National Assembly has aligned the certified Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure uniformity, while hard copies have been circulated to lawmakers and made available to the public.
The House also confirmed that its Ad-Hoc Committee, chaired by Rt. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, continues to investigate how the unauthorised versions entered circulation and will recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
Separately, the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, has urged security agencies to remain alert over rumours of protests against the tax laws.
Addressing the issue yesterday, he urged Nigerians to beware of misinformation stressing that the laws remain in force and can only be altered through amendments by the National Assembly.