PDP demands six-month extension of tax laws implementation to allow reps probe ‘discrepancies’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the federal government to extend the implementation of the tax laws by six months.

The implementation of the tax laws is scheduled to begin in January.

BACKGROUND

On Wednesday, Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the house of representatives from Sokoto, claimed that the gazetted tax laws available to Nigerians do not reflect the harmonised legislation passed by the national assembly.

Dasuki said he obtained copies of the gazetted laws from the ministry of information and found notable differences when compared with the versions approved by the parliament.

“What was passed on the floor is not what is gazetted,” the lawmaker said.

He warned that the discrepancies amounted to a breach of the constitution and could undermine the integrity of the legislature if not addressed.

During the Thursday plenary, the house of representatives constituted a seven-member committee to investigate the alleged discrepancies in the gazetted tax laws.

The committee members are Muktar Betara (chairman), Idris Wase (Plateau), James Faleke (Lagos), Sada Soli (Katsina), Iduma Igariwey (Ebonyi), Fredrick Agbedi (Bayelsa) and Babajimi Benson (Lagos).

The panel is expected to compare the text passed by the national assembly with the officially gazetted copy to determine the nature and extent of the alleged inconsistencies.

‘IMPLEMENTATION SHOULD BE EXTENDED FOR SIX MONTHS’

In a statement, Ini Ememobong, PDP spokesperson, said the extension is necessary to allow the lawmakers to conduct a thorough probe.

“This disparity must be comprehensively investigated and not treated with the customary levity that this administration has shown toward very serious issues of governance,” the statement reads.

“Nigerians are interested in knowing how the insertions and substitutions got into the gazetted copy.

“The leadership of the house of representatives must not attempt to sweep it under the carpet, as it has done with the now popular rumour that the country is operating two budgets within a fiscal year.

“This criminal act of inserting unenacted sections in laws can erode public trust in the enactments of parliament. Nigerians need assurance that the laws they obey are valid laws enacted by their elected representatives, not laws with insertions that are strange to the lawmakers.

“Consequently, we demand that the commencement date of the tax act be shifted from January 1, 2026, for at least six months to allow sufficient time for the investigation of this anomaly, publication and circulation of the enacted version, and, more importantly, the mounting of sufficient enlightenment campaigns on the new act.”

Ememobong also criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the detention of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft and personnel in Burkina Faso.

He lamented that under the current administration, Nigeria’s respect and global standing have “progressively declined”.

Ememobong said the new visa restrictions on Nigeria by the US government are based on the rising insecurity in the country and the government’s inability to counter it, especially in the north, effectively.

“This is the lowest that we have gone as a country due to poor leadership; even during military rule, such harsh treatment was not meted out on Nigeria and Nigerians,” Ememobong said.

“This is a sad commentary on the current leadership of our country, who have paid more attention to politics than governance.

“Rather than comprehensively tackle core security issues, the administration prefers to apply simplistic and tangential solutions and politicise security matters, like the recent uproar about the absurd attempt at promoting the President’s aide-de-camp and other presidential security aides.

“Under this administration, it is an undeniable fact that Nigeria’s military capacity has consistently reduced, as shown in the Global Firepower report 2024, where Nigeria dropped to 39th from its earlier 36th position in 2023.”

He said President Bola Tinubu did not attend the 68th ordinary session of the government meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja to discuss burning issues, especially insecurity and political instability, affecting member states.

“Presidents of member states travelled into Nigeria to attend the meeting due to the importance of the issues on the agenda, but the host, President Tinubu, was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima,” he said.

“While the president is at liberty to send a representative if he is indisposed, subsequent attendance at a political event the next day creates a perception of less premium paid to regional stability, which is in opposition to our foreign policy.

“Acts like this may contribute to the scant regard our country has earned under his administration in the eyes of other countries, who respected and revered us previously.”

Ememobong asked Tinubu to prioritise governance over politics and to intensify investment in critical infrastructure, security, education, roads, and health care across the country, rather than funding and empowering political structures in preparation for the 2027 elections.(The Cable)