The Senate has moved to dispel lingering concerns surrounding Nigeria’s Tax Reform Acts, declaring that the four recently enacted laws remain unaltered and valid as passed by the National Assembly.
At the same time, economist and public policy expert, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has directed tax authorities to halt practices that burden the poor and small businesses, urging a new approach that prioritises investment and growth over excessive taxation.
Speaking at plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured lawmakers that the Acts, passed as separate bills by both chambers in May 2025 and signed into law in June, were not tampered with at any stage of the legislative process. He dismissed claims circulating in some quarters suggesting discrepancies between what was passed by the legislature and what was assented to by the President.
Akpabio stressed that the certified copies held by the Senate and the House of Representatives are authentic and accurately reflect the laws as approved. To reinforce transparency, he directed the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, to distribute certified true copies of the four Acts to all senators for independent verification.
According to him, the documents fully align with proceedings in both chambers, insisting that allegations of adulteration were unfounded and misleading.
The four laws signed on June 26, 2025, are the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service Act and the Joint Revenue Board Act. Collectively, they are designed to modernise Nigeria’s tax framework, boost revenue generation, improve the ease of doing business and strengthen tax administration across federal, state and local governments.
The Senate’s clarification follows public speculation over the integrity of the Acts, a matter lawmakers can now verify through the certified copies provided.
Meanwhile, Oyedele, who chairs the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, said the President’s vision is to ensure that taxation supports, rather than suffocates, small-scale economic activity. He spoke in Abuja at a town hall meeting with artisans and traders organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.
He explained that President Tinubu has instructed tax administrators to stop “taxing poverty, capital and seed,” emphasising the need to partner with citizens so businesses can grow and become productive.
Oyedele noted that Nigeria’s economy is dominated by nano and micro enterprises, adding that with the right support, many could grow into billion-naira businesses over time. He warned that overburdening such enterprises with multiple taxes could undermine national development.
He also acknowledged widespread anxiety over the tax reforms, attributing much of it to misinformation. According to him, clearer communication and stakeholder engagement are needed to replace fear with confidence in the reform process.
