Lawmakers May Suspend January 2026 Tax Reform Over Alleged Gazetted Alterations – Oyedele
Nigeria’s planned January 2026 rollout of new tax reform laws could be suspended, following allegations of alterations in the gazetted copies of the legislation. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, told Channels Television that the National Assembly has the constitutional authority to delay implementation while the discrepancies are investigated.
Oyedele noted that opposition to the reforms has been driven more by fear and misinformation than the actual content of the laws. “If we even want to postpone the implementation of the law, it has to be the lawmakers. That’s far beyond my pay grade,” he said, emphasizing that any decision to suspend the reforms rests entirely with the National Assembly.
The committee chairman warned that halting the reforms would maintain a tax system that disproportionately affects low-income earners and small businesses. Currently, about 98% of workers are overtaxed, while small businesses face multiple levies without exemptions. Additionally, existing VAT structures continue to inflate the cost of essential goods like food, healthcare, and education.
Oyedele stressed that if investigations confirm alterations to the laws after passage, those specific provisions should be treated as invalid. He advocated implementing the reforms as passed by the National Assembly while separately addressing any discrepancies. “We need to be clear about what we are asking for and weigh it against the economic and social costs of maintaining the status quo,” he said.
The alleged discrepancies highlight weaknesses in the legislative process, including manual handling of bills from debates to gazetting. Oyedele said this should be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen lawmaking procedures to ensure accuracy and transparency in the future. The controversy arose after Rep. Abdulsammad Dasuki reported differences between the versions passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted copies, prompting calls for further investigation.
source: nairametrics