Tax laws passed by n’assembly differ from gazetted copy, rep alleges

Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the house of representatives, says there are discrepancies between the tax reform law passed by the national assembly and the gazetted copy available to the public.

Dasuki, who represents Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency of Sokoto, raised a point of privilege on the floor of the lower legislative chamber during Wednesday’s plenary.

A gazette is an official government publication that formally publishes laws and other legal notices after they have been approved by the legislature and signed into law by the president.

The gazette serves as an authoritative public record and is relied on by government agencies, courts and the general public as evidence of the law in force.

Dasuki said the gazetted copy of the law available to Nigerians does not reflect what lawmakers passed.

“What was passed on the floor is not what is gazetted. Mr speaker, honourable colleagues, I was here, I gave my vote, and it was counted, and I am seeing something completely different,” he said.

The lawmaker said he personally obtained copies of the gazetted law from the ministry of information and found that they differed from the versions harmonised and approved by the house.

“I am calling on Mr speaker to graciously look at what was harmonised, what is in the gazetted copy, and what was passed on this floor,” he said.

The legislator warned that the discrepancy amounted to a constitutional breach and urged the house to treat the matter with urgency.

“This is a breach of the constitution and a breach of our laws, and it should not be taken lightly by this honourable house,” he said.

Although he did not move a substantive motion, Dasuki requested that the version passed by the national assembly be presented before the committee of the whole so lawmakers could compare it with the gazetted copy. 

Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, acknowledged the concern and noted that action would be taken.

The house of representatives  and the senate passed the tax reform bills in March and May, respectively.

President Bola Tinubu signed the bills into law in June.

The bills initially faced opposition from the northern governors, who argued that the proposed laws could harm the region’s interests, asking the national assembly to reject the bills and demanding fair and equitable implementation across all regions.

But the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) later endorsed the tax proposals after agreeing on an “equitable” VAT-sharing formula.