The Media Adviser to the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called for the suspension of the implementation of the laws pending a thorough investigation into the allegations of alterations.
Naijaonpoint reports that the laws came under scrutiny when a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions gazetted and released to the public.
In an interview with Punch, Paul Ibe described the alleged alteration as a falsification and a crime.
He argued that halting implementation would allow for proper scrutiny by lawmakers and the public, and help safeguard the integrity of the legislative process.
He said, “Something is wrong with this country. It is a very serious issue. Something has been appended to the law, and some people have gone ahead to alter it. This is falsification, and it is criminal. The big question is: what else has been doctored? What else has been falsified?
“This is dangerous, and it affirms the state capture the opposition warned about in our joint statement”.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, said they had begun mobilising Nigerians nationwide against the tax reform laws, describing the reforms as anti-people and illegitimate.
Sanyaolu, while speaking with Punch, described the alleged alteration as a continuation of impunity by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, arguing that the policy was designed to exploit ordinary Nigerians.
According to him, the reform targets employers, entrepreneurs, young people, content creators and other informal workers.
He said, “The law itself is primarily targeted against the people of Nigeria. This tax reform seeks to exploit about 90 per cent of the population.”