Tax law controversy: Budget Office warns against governance paralysis amid suspension calls

defends integrity of Tax Reform Acts

ABUJA — In response to calls for the suspension of Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws, the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) has cautioned against what it described as governance paralysis, while reaffirming the integrity of the Tax Reform Acts.

Starmich had reported that the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives called for the immediate suspension of the Tax Reform Acts, alleging that the versions being implemented differed from those passed and signed. The caucus urged a halt to enforcement pending verification to protect legislative integrity and ensure Nigerians are governed by authentic laws.

The Office however, in a statement released on Wednesday, stressed that the sanctity of the law is central to constitutional democracy, adding that any claim that a law could be changed after debate, passage, authentication, and presidential assent without proper process undermines citizens’ right to transparent and stable governance.

The BOF said government and citizens share a mutual interest in truth, clarity, and due process, stressing that public finance relies on trust in the legality and clarity of fiscal laws. The Office welcomed the National Assembly’s decision to investigate the allegations, emphasising that institutional inquiry, not conjecture, is the proper response to claims of illegality.

The Budget Office in the statement signed by its Director-General, Tanimu Yakubu, emphasised that democratic integrity is equally threatened by the amplification of unverified claims.

“A nation cannot be governed by insinuation or sustained on circulating documents of uncertain origin,” the statement noted, adding that public confidence, once shaken by speculation, is often difficult to restore.

On access to the law, the Office affirmed that Nigerians and businesses are entitled to authoritative texts. It clarified that authenticity is determined by certified legislative records and official publication processes, not informal or viral reproductions.

The statement highlighted the importance of separation of powers, warning that claims suggesting Nigeria is governed by “fake laws,” without established facts, risk eroding confidence in democratic institutions, while also noting that legislative scrutiny is a constitutional duty and not an act of hostility.

Legal certainty, it said, underpins revenue projections, macroeconomic stability, budget credibility, and investor confidence. While not the custodian of legislative records, the Office said uncertainty around operative tax provisions directly affects economic planning.

“Where clarification is required, it must be provided; where correction is required, it must be effected; where investigation is required, it must proceed,” the statement said, adding that governance and reform should not be stalled by unresolved conjecture.

To restore confidence, the Office proposed practical measures, highlighting verified reference texts in a single public repository, orderly access to Certified True Copies, clear public explanations where discrepancies are alleged, and strict alignment of all implementing regulations with authenticated legal texts as panacea.

Describing taxation as a democratic covenant, the Budget Office insisted that compliance depends on transparency and trust, while calling on political actors to protect institutions as much as positions, urging citizens and businesses to rely on verified sources and resist the spread of unauthenticated information.