THE Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has assured Nigerians that the National Assembly would look into the alleged discrepancies in the gazetted tax laws and take necessary actions.
Onn Wednesday, December 17, Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives from Sokoto, claimed that the gazetted tax laws available to Nigerians were different from the laws passed by the National Assembly.
Responding, the lawmakers constituted a seven-member committee to investigate the alleged discrepancies.
Clarifying the development on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’ show on Monday, December 22, Oyedele said the lawmakers were best positioned to address the alleged discrepancies since they passed the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
“Let’s wait for the findings of the lawmakers. If, indeed, there were alterations,” he said.
He added, “And if those alterations were substantial, in other words, they’re not editorial, then the next step would be to see how best to address those issues.”
Oyedele stressed that before anyone could claim there is a difference between the gazetted tax laws and what was passed, they must have both copies.
“We have what is gazetted, we don’t have what was passed.
“So, the official harmonised bills certified by the clerk, which the National Assembly sent to the president, we don’t have a copy to compare. That’s a fundamental issue that people need to be aware of.
“So, only the lawmakers can say authoritatively that ‘this is what we sent’. And that ‘what we sent’, shouldn’t be the House of Representatives version, it shouldn’t be the Senate version. It should be the harmonised version certified by the clerk,” the tax expert said.
He also cautioned that what had been circulating online and widely reported by a section of the media was fake.
Oyedele added that the committee should be allowed to investigate because “it is not just about the tax reform laws, it’s about our processes.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.