Tax Laws Controversy: Reps Set Up Panel Over ‘Altered’ Gazetted Copies

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday announced the formation of a seven-member ad-hoc committee tasked with investigating allegations of discrepancies between tax bills passed by the National Assembly and the versions that were subsequently assented to and officially gazetted.

The development followed a Point of Privilege raised on the floor of the House by a member representing Sokoto State, Abdulsammad Dasuki, who alleged that the tax laws made public did not reflect what lawmakers debated and approved.

The ad-hoc committee is to be chaired by the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Muktar Aliyu Betara.

Other members of the committee include former Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, Sada Soli, James Abiodun Faleke, Fred Agbedi, Babajimi Benson and Iduma Igariwey.

The committee is expected to examine the legislative process that culminated in the gazetting of the tax laws and determine whether the final documents differ from the versions passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.

Raising the matter on Wednesday under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules, Dasuki told the House that his legislative privilege had been breached.

He insisted that the content of the gazetted tax laws was materially different from what lawmakers voted on and passed on the floor of the House.

According to him, he took three days to review the gazetted copies alongside the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives, as well as the harmonised versions adopted by both chambers, and discovered inconsistencies.

“I was here, I gave my vote and it was counted, and I am seeing something completely different,” Dasuki said.

The lawmaker added that he obtained copies of the gazetted laws from the Ministry of Information and found them inconsistent with what had been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Dasuki stressed that his intervention was not about moving a motion but about alerting the House to what he described as a grave violation of legislative procedure and constitutional provisions.

He urged the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised versions, the Votes and Proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted copies currently in circulation, are presented before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all lawmakers.

He warned that allowing laws different from those duly passed by the National Assembly to be presented to Nigerians would undermine the integrity of the legislature.

“Mr Speaker, I will be pleading that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole. The whole members should see what is in the gazetted copy and see what they passed on the floor so that we can make the relevant amendment.

“This is the breach of the Constitution. This is the breach of our laws, and this should not be taken by this honourable House,” he added.

In his response, Speaker Abbas, who presided over the plenary, said he had taken note of the Point of Privilege raised by Dasuki and assured members that appropriate action would be taken to address the matter.

The setting up of the ad-hoc committee is expected to bring clarity to the controversy and safeguard the integrity of the legislative process.