Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed speculations that the new tax laws which came into effect this month were adulterated.
He said during plenary yesterday that the Acts currently in the custody of the National Assembly are exactly the versions passed by both chambers and signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Akpabio told Senators during the session that Certified True Copies(CTC) of the laws before the Senate and the House accurately reflect what the members approved.
To reinforce transparency, he directed the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, to distribute certified copies of the Acts to all senators for scrutiny.
The Senate President said: “I understand that there is another version that was circulating, which was not in compliance with what was contained in our votes and proceedings.
“There is no adulteration. So, at this stage, you can feel bold enough to discard anything that is to the contrary.
“There are about four Acts. The four are ready, gazetted and signed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and certified by the Clerk to the National Assembly to avoid confusion.
“Copies of the Acts will be made available to all senators by the Clerk of the Senate.
“So, you take it directly from us. And then those who are not here, we will distribute them directly to them. This Act should not be given to any other person. It must be given by the Clerk to the Senate and certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly to avoid any confusion.
‘This has taken cognisance of what happened in the House of Representatives, in the votes and proceedings. And also what happened in the Senate and what happened in the committee on harmonisation, and was signed by the President.
“The copies of the Acts are totally in compliance with what happened in the two chambers. No adulteration, nothing.”
President Tinubu signed the four Tax Reform Bills– Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), Nigeria Revenue Service Act (NRSA) and the Joint Revenue Board Act (JRBA).on June 26, 2025.
The controversy over the tax laws revolves around allegations that the officially gazetted versions contain “illegal alterations” and significant discrepancies from those actually passed by the National Assembly.
Some members of the House of Representatives had alleged that certain provisions in the Acts, particularly relating to tax administration and revenue sharing, are different from what the House debated and passed.
Some lawmakers called for a probe, claiming discrepancies between the versions passed by the National Assembly and the copies in circulation.
The House Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee claimed last week that its investigation showed that there were indeed alterations in some of the new laws.
On Sunday, the House Spokesman, Akintunde Rotimi, disowned the findings of the caucus.
Rotimi said the setting up of an ad-hoc committee by the caucus was not recognised under the House standing rules.
He stated that neither the Majority nor the Minority caucus nor any political caucus in the House has the authority to constitute such a committee, as the reports emanating therefrom cannot be tabled before the House for any legislative action.
He said that the ad hoc committee of the Minority Caucus has the potential to create confusion in the minds of the public, leading to serious misunderstanding, adding that already, the House has set up a multi-party ad-hoc committee to investigate the allegations of alterations to the tax laws.
Tinubu directs ease of tax burden on small businesses
President Tinubu has directed that the tax burden on small businesses be eased and that the implementation of policies that worsen poverty be halted.
Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, explained this at a Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) town hall meeting with artisans and traders in Abuja.
He also said that the President directed that all stakeholders should work together to ensure the success of nano, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, rather than stifling them with multiple taxes.
“You cannot build a society where businesses are not allowed to breathe,” Oyedele quoted Tinubu as saying.
“The secret to the success of any society is enabling its 35 million nano, micro, small, and medium businesses to grow. Supporting MSMEs positively is essential because that is the real Nigeria,” he stated.
Oyedele, an economist, accountant and public policy expert, said that the President ordered an end to taxing poverty, capital and seed, urging instead that government policies should support investment and business growth so that small enterprises can thrive.
He said: “You cannot build a society where businesses are not allowed to breathe. The secret to the success of any society is enabling its 35 million nano, micro, small, and medium businesses to grow. Supporting MSMEs positively is essential because that is the real Nigeria.
“The President directed that we should stop taxing poverty, capital, and seed. We should invest in the people so that the seed can turn into fruit
SMEDAN’s Director- General Charles Odii, who put the number of Small Medium Enterprise in the country at 39 million, advised the operators to access the N200 billion approved for them by President Tinubu.
