SERAP Urges Tinubu to Probe Alleged Discrepancies in Gazetted Tax Laws
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately set up an independent panel to investigate claims that recently gazetted tax laws differ significantly from the versions passed by the National Assembly.
In a Freedom of Information request submitted on Saturday and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged the President to establish a panel that would independently, transparently, and effectively probe the allegations. SERAP said the panel should clarify what occurred during the lawmaking process and identify those responsible for any alleged alterations.
“The panel should be led by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal,” the group stated, adding that its findings must be made public and anyone implicated should face appropriate prosecution.
SERAP also asked President Tinubu to direct the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to publish certified true copies of the tax bills received from the National Assembly alongside the versions that were signed into law and gazetted. The documents in question include the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, and the Nigeria Tax Act.
Publishing these documents, the organisation noted, would allow Nigerians to scrutinise the laws and compare them to the gazetted versions. SERAP warned that any alleged unlawful changes could undermine constitutional standards, international human rights obligations, and the principles of the rule of law and separation of powers.
The call for action comes amid claims from lawmakers, including Sokoto lawmaker Abdussamad Dasuki, that the gazetted copies of the tax laws contain material differences from the versions passed by both chambers of the National Assembly. Allegations include the insertion, deletion, or modification of substantive provisions and the removal of oversight, accountability, and reporting mechanisms previously approved by parliament.
SERAP also highlighted concerns about the introduction of new coercive fiscal powers, such as arrest powers, garnishment without court order, compulsory USD computation, appeal security deposits, allegedly included in the final Acts without legislative approval.
The organisation set a seven-day deadline for the government to implement its recommendations, warning that it would pursue legal action if the measures are not taken promptly.
