Chidiebere Onyishi
On the 17th of December, 2025, a House of Rep. Member, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, raised very disturbing concerns on the floor of the House; that the gazetted version of the Tax Reform Law differs from what the National Assembly actually passed.
Recall that the Tax Reform Bill was passed by the National Assembly in March and May 2025, and signed into law by President Tinubu on June 26, 2025. Although the implementation is to begin by January 2026, Nigerians have voiced concerns over the seeming inhumane nature of the Tax law and the excessive powers granted to the “tax collectors”.
Key components of the Tax reform law include: Changes to VAT administration and collection; Introduction of new taxes like Cybersecurity levy, 0.5% levy on electronic transactions, 5% Telecoms Excise Duty, Tax on Digital Assets including cryptocurrencies, Excise Duty on Beverages; Changes to existing taxes like the Companies Income Tax (CIT) and Customs and Excise Duties; Administrative Reforms which includes Tax Harmonization, Automation and Technology.
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It is laudable to harmonize tax collection into a single system to reduce confusion and leakages, and fully digitalize tax processes to reduce human interference, errors and corruption. However, there are certain aspects of the Tax Reform Law that calls to question the sincerity of government – while the government claims the aim is to simplify the tax system, improve business climate and increase revenue – which the country so desperately needs, it might be actually pushing to do the opposite.
One of the major issues with the new tax law is its potential negative impact on the cost of living and inflation. The new taxes and levies – including the Cybersecurity levy, telecoms excise duty, and taxes on digital assets – will inevitably be passed on to consumers, increasing the price of goods and services in a country already grappling with severe inflationary pressures.. Secondly, the government cannot claim to want to harmonize levies while simultaneously introducing new levies (Cybersecurity, Telecoms Excise etc). States and local governments also have theirs and may even introduce more; essentially leading to the multiple taxation this reform seeks to eliminate.
Coming back to the issue at hand, it is very worrisome that the discrepancies in the gazetted Tax Law is being pointed out mid December, for a bill that was signed into law in June. Some of the contentions in the gazetted copy include: Coercive powers added without legislative approval; Removal of the section which requires quarterly/annual reports to the National Assembly; Corporate Tax – the provision allowing reduction based on National Economic Council advice was deleted from the original copy, among other discrepancies.
It is an affront on the dignity and credibility of the law making process and casts serious aspersions on our elected and public servants. What does this anomaly pose to current and intending investors?
If this is true, this is not just any forgery, it poses a very significant threat to our national security – with this, the trust deficit of this administration continues to dwindle even further.
This is coming on the heels of public displeasure over the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with France’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP) – which the government and the FIRS have yet to make public. The MOU was signed on December 10, 2025. There are valid concerns over sharing such sensitive data with a foreign country, and as such posing threat of surveillance, economic espionage and undermining national security.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas acknowledged the concerns raised, and promised that appropriate actions will be taken. The Select Committee on Post-Passage Alterations has been formed, but no findings have been released yet.
It remains to be seen how the Presidency and the National Assembly will handle this breach. As of now, no arrests or prosecutions have been reported.
