December 22, (THEWILL) — The opposition, groups, civil society organisations, well-meaning individuals and some political figures have reacted to the allegation of discrepancies between versions of the harmonised tax reform bills approved by the National Assembly and the versions released to the public.
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP Sokoto), during plenary last week raised a matter of privilege on the floor of the House, alleging discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions subsequently gazetted and made available to the public.
Were this allegation raised by an outsider of the three arms of government, namely the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary, it would have merited no attention, not to mention a breach of democratic process. It was made by a lawmaker who participated in the process of passing the bill before it was forwarded to the President for his assent. It became a law after the President’s approval.
This allegation is therefore a serious one which hit at the sovereignty of the legislature, elected representatives of the people, charged with making laws. So, we can safely say that a constitutional crisis is looming in the country. The National Assembly must rise to the occasion and treat this matter with the attention and scrutiny that it deserves. It would amount to a fraud if the allegation were proved.
The opposition argued that an independent probe would help restore public confidence, stressing that transparency and accountability were critical in matters affecting national fiscal policy.
However, the Presidency dismissed claims that it secretly altered some provisions of the newly enacted tax reform laws, insisting that no changes were made outside the established legal and legislative process.
Following the allegation of discrepancies, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, underscored the seriousness of the allegation by announcing a seven-man ad hoc committee to investigate the claims and submit a report to the House for further legislative action.
We believe that, given the seriousness of the matter, an investigation, a thorough one at that, is of utmost importance. And to achieve the desired results, there is a need to suspend the implementation of the 2025 tax laws in order to allow investigators do a good job. We are waiting. The entire nation waits.
