By Paul Effiong, Abuja
House of Representative has finally succumbed to public outcry and released the four recently enacted tax reform laws signed by President Bola Tinubu, making the Certified True Copies, CTCs, available to Nigerians for public record, verification and reference.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi, and made available to journalists yesterday in Abuja.
The statement said the presentation of the new tax laws to the public was made for the purpose of restoring confidence, as well as ending controversies surrounding the authenticity of the new tax regime in the country.
The action, according to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, followed serious public concerns and allegations of alterations and circulation of unauthorised and misleading versions of the new laws.
The statement also disclosed that the speaker is acting in concert with Senate President Godswill Akpabio who directed the immediate publication of the certified Acts, including the endorsement and presidential assent pages.
The House disclosed that the issue came to the light after a vigilant member identified discrepancies in versions of the tax laws in circulation and raised alarm on a point of privilege during plenary.
In quick response to the issues, the speaker promptly ordered an internal verification exercise and authorised the public release of the certified documents to eliminate doubts and safeguard the sanctity of the legislative record.
The House maintained that from the onset of the tax reform process, the speaker had provided steady leadership through extensive stakeholders engagements, committee scrutiny, clause-by-clause consideration, as well as rigorous debates before passage.
The House also informed that the process was clear, fair, evidence-based and strictly guided by constitutional and parliamentary procedures.
The four Acts released include the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.
The lawmakers believe that good laws form the backbone of Nigeria’s modern tax reform architecture, as it is designed to improve compliance, reduce inefficiencies, eliminate duplication and strengthen fiscal coordination across the federation.
The House therefore reassured Nigerians of transparency in the whole process.
Meanwhile, Speaker Abbas has emphasised that the 10th National Assembly is fundamentally an institution of records governed by established rules, precedents and archival systems that protect the authenticity of every law enacted.
Abbas equally maintained that once a Bill is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and legislative custody.
“The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure and institutional memory,” the speaker said, adding that “every Bill, every amendment and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway.”
On the other hand, according to the House, the clerk to the National Assembly has completed the alignment of the certified Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy and uniformity.
It was gathered from the statement that hard copies of the new tax laws have been produced and circulated to lawmakers, and will soon be made available to the general public.
The House equally pledged commitment to the ad-hoc committee chaired by Muktar Betara in furtherance of the investigation into the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax law.
The House also reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to constitutionalism, rule of law, transparency and accountable governance, vowing to strengthen internal controls and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s legislative process in the collective interest of the Nigerian people.
