FG Halts Tax Law Guidelines Amid Fresh Uncertainty Over Final Versions 

By Tgnews Reporter

The Federal Government has temporarily suspended the release of implementation guidelines for Nigeria’s sweeping new tax laws, citing ongoing uncertainty about which version truly represents the final, legally binding text.

Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Tax Reform Committee, disclosed this development yesterday during a keynote address at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN)’s 2026 Economic Outlook event, themed “ICAN@60: Accountability as the Bedrock for National Development.”

Oyedele explained that he personally instructed the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) to hold off on issuing any guidelines, as the lack of clarity on the official laws makes it impossible to proceed confidently.

He recounted directing his team to purchase a printed copy from the government printer—the version that, under the Acts Authentication Act, should serve as conclusive evidence of the enacted law.

However, staff were told the copies were not available, with the National Assembly having collected all printed versions and instructed that they not be sold or distributed to the public until the lawmakers complete their review.

“The Acts Authentication Act says whatever the government printer publishes is the evidence of the law that was passed,” Oyedele stated.

“That government printer published something, which we said is the official version. Lawmakers said it is not what they passed. So, they said they would do their own gazettes… They sent me a copy, soft copy. But that’s not what the Acts Authentication Act says.”

He added that while the legislative review process is legitimate, the restriction on public access has unfortunately reintroduced fresh uncertainty into an already contentious reform process.

“I also told everybody, the NRS, JRB, you too wait, because we cannot issue guidelines. We are not 100 per cent certain that this is the final official position,” Oyedele emphasized, noting he had urged staff to physically follow up daily at the printer.

The four laws in question—the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, and the Nigeria Tax Act—officially took effect on January 1, 2026.

They have sparked widespread debate since allegations surfaced in December that the gazetted versions published by the government differed materially from what the National Assembly debated, voted on, and passed.

A House of Representatives member, Abdussamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), raised the issue as a matter of privilege, claiming discrepancies after comparing gazetted copies with the Votes and Proceedings and harmonized versions.

This prompted the House to form a seven-man committee to investigate, with a deadline that expired on December 25.

On January 3, the National Assembly released Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the approved versions, addressing the concerns and disowning the earlier controversial gazetted copies.

Oyedele downplayed the significance of any remaining differences, assuring that “the few items… shouldn’t affect the main thing that people need, nothing about the tax rate, about the tax burden, the filing deadline.” He stressed that the core provisions remain intact and beneficial.

The controversy has been exacerbated by misinformation, which Oyedele said has caused real economic harm.

He highlighted how false claims about the reforms led to panic selling in the stock market, resulting in a staggering N4.6 trillion loss in market value in a single day in November 2025.

“The new tax laws exempt someone who sells up to 150 million Naira a year. Why are people selling 1 million Naira in panic? The danger of misinformation… led to real losses for people, including some people whose pensions are with PFAs, lost money.”

Oyedele also alleged that opposition to the reforms includes paid protests, claiming “a group… they gave them N30 million to go and protest,” and that infighting over the funds led some to retract publicly.