Did Someone Edit the Tax Code?
The House of Representatives hit the panic button this week after discovering that Nigeria’s freshly minted tax laws look a little too minty. Lawmakers say the versions published in the official gazette don’t match what they passed in plenary,a potential "constitutional breach," Punch reports.
The Big Picture: Nigeria’s 2025,26 tax overhaul is supposed to modernise revenue collection, cut breaks for the well-connected, and calm investors ahead of the next Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) validation. But if statutes are being tweaked on the way to the printer, confidence could evaporate faster than a December harmattan mist.
The Details: • A special committee has been set up to track every insertion, deletion, and comma swap in the gazetted laws. • Lawmakers fear that unapproved changes could upend the delicate give-and-take that won bipartisan support. • The discrepancies come just weeks after President Bola Tinubu signed the reform package championed by the Oyedele-led fiscal policy group.
Why It Matters / What They’re Saying: The reaction was swift and loud. The National Opposition Movement blasted the reforms as an "attack on Nigerians’ livelihood," pointing to the new requirement that every adult file a return by 31 March 2026 (Nigeria Info). On the other side, the Ekiti State IRS boss insists the package "is designed to protect, not punish Nigerians," promising no arbitrary bank debits (The Nation), a stance that echoes the intentions outlined in the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025. For now, taxpayers are left wondering whose version of the law will land on their desks.
Around the Tax World
• Civil society, assemble! FIDAC urged NGOs to drive accountability under the 2025 Acts, saying simpler language will boost compliance ( BusinessDay ).
• Freedom-of-Information face-off. Lawyers filed an FOI request demanding FIRS reveal details of its tax-tech MoU with France’s DGFiP, citing data-sovereignty fears (FIJ).
• Northern elders split. A faction of Northern leaders disowned the NEF’s hard line and instead endorsed Tinubu’s reforms as "progressive" and tech-driven (The Whistler).
• Explainer alert. Tax guru Taiwo Oyedele reminded Nigerians that TINs for personal bank accounts are not brand-new; only the process is being harmonized (BusinessDay).
Tax Stat of the Day
₦0 , The amount of corporate income tax small businesses will owe under the new framework, taking effect 1 January 2026, a move reformers say will shield Nigeria’s 39 million micro-enterprises (Development Diaries).
Looking Ahead
All eyes are now on the House probe. Its findings could determine whether the 2026 rollout proceeds smoothly, or heads back to the legislative workshop for a very public rewrite.