The House of Representatives has made available to the public certified true copies of the four tax reform Acts that were passed by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as part of efforts to calm growing concerns over allegations that the laws had been altered.
In issuing the directive for the release of the certified Acts, Speaker Abbas assured Nigerians that the National Assembly remains an institution built on records, operating through clearly defined rules, precedents, archival structures, and verification procedures that protect the authenticity of every law enacted.
The spokesman of the House, Akintunde Rotimi, said in a statement issued last night that the original copy of the law that was passed and signed by the President had been made public, while hard copies had been printed and distributed to members.
The statement said: “The House of Representatives, under the leadership of the Speaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has released the four tax reform Acts duly signed into law by His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, to Nigerians for public record, verification, and reference.
“Speaker Abbas, in concert with the Senate President, H.E. Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, directed the immediate release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the Acts, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by the President, following public concerns and allegations regarding purported alterations and the circulation of unauthorised and misleading versions of the laws.
“This decisive intervention underscores Speaker Abbas’ long-standing commitment to transparency, legislative integrity, and public confidence in the law-making process.
“Indeed, the attention of the House was drawn to the existence of inconsistent versions of the tax laws in circulation after a vigilant Honourable Member identified discrepancies, raised the alarm, and formally reported the matter to the House on a point of privilege. Acting promptly, the Speaker ordered an internal verification and the immediate public release of the certified Acts to eliminate doubt, restore clarity, and protect the sanctity of the legislative record.
“From the initiation of the tax reform process through extensive stakeholder consultations, committee scrutiny, rigorous clause-by-clause consideration, robust plenary debates, and eventual passage, Speaker Abbas has provided firm and steady leadership to ensure that the reforms were evidence-based, inclusive, and aligned with Nigeria’s fiscal realities and development priorities.
“Throughout the process, Speaker Abbas consistently emphasised that tax reform must be anchored on clarity, fairness, and strict adherence to constitutional and parliamentary procedure.
“The four Acts released are: the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025, The Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, The National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025 and The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025
“These landmark legislations constitute the backbone of Nigeria’s contemporary tax reform architecture, designed to modernise revenue administration, improve compliance, reduce inefficiencies, eliminate duplications, and strengthen fiscal coordination across the federation.”
Rotimi quoted the Speaker as stating that “The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory. Every Bill, every amendment, and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway. Once a law is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and custody by the legislature. There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law.
“Speaker Abbas further emphasised that the House would remain vigilant and proactive in defending the integrity of its work, clarifying that the only authentic and authoritative versions of the four tax Acts are those certified and released by the National Assembly.
“Members of the public, institutions, professionals, and stakeholders are therefore advised to disregard and discountenance any other documents or versions in circulation that are not certified by the National Assembly, as such materials do not form part of the official legislative record.
“Consequently, the Clerk to the National Assembly has concluded the process of aligning the Acts – duly passed, assented to, and certified – with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy, conformity, and uniformity.
“Hard copies of the certified tax Acts have also been produced and are being circulated to all Honourable Members and Distinguished Senators, and made available to the public, to ensure institutional clarity, uniform reference, and legislative certainty.
“The House affirms that the work of the Ad-Hoc Committee, chaired by Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara continues, in line with its mandate, to determine the circumstances surrounding the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax Acts and to recommend measures that will prevent a recurrence and preserve the authenticity and reliability of parliamentary records.
“The House of Representatives, under the leadership of Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, and accountable governance. The House will continue to strengthen internal controls, uphold institutional discipline, and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s legislative process in the collective interest of the Nigerian people.”
States and local governments are expected to benefit from increased revenue as the new tax regime begins, with a major shift projected in the sharing of revenue from the Federation Accounts from next month when January revenue inflows will be distributed, as the 36 states and the 774 local government areas are expected to receive significantly higher statutory allocations under the new structure.
The policy framework, which revises the distribution of key tax components, will redirect a substantial share of federally generated taxes to subnational governments.
Under the new arrangement, all revenues generated from Pay As You Earn and Personal Income Tax will be allocated entirely to the states.
In addition, 90 percent of Value Added Tax collections will now go to the subnational level, with 55 percent distributed to the states and the Federal Capital Territory, while 35 percent will go to local governments.
The new sharing pattern also stipulates that 26.7 percent of Company Income Tax will now be allocated to the states, and a further 26.7 percent of Petroleum Profit Tax will follow the same distribution model.
Furthermore, 20.6 percent of both Company Income Tax and Petroleum Profit Tax will accrue to local governments under state control.
The revenue capacity of states and local governments had already increased significantly following the removal of fuel subsidy by the Tinubu Administration shortly after coming into office in 2023, with the funds saved from subsidy payments being distributed across the three tiers of government for developmental purposes.
For example, the three tiers of government shared N1.928 trillion in November, compared to N786.161 billion shared in the month immediately before the removal of fuel subsidy.
Sources within the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee stated that work would begin on revising the sharing templates to incorporate the new inflows once full activities resume after the New Year break.
A senior official explained that the technical teams would begin “the reconfiguration of the sharing templates to reflect these new tax accruals.”
The official further noted that the shift represents one of the most significant fiscal changes for subnational governments in recent years.
“With the new tax regime, the state governments are going to receive more money from the tax components of the Federation Accounts than they did in 2025 and before,” the source stated.
Beyond the increased revenue volume, the Act also introduces a revised method for distributing VAT revenues among states and local government councils.
Under the new structure, half of the VAT pool will be shared equally among all states and councils. Twenty per cent will be distributed according to population size within each area, while the remaining 30 per cent will be allocated based on actual consumption levels recorded across the states.
However, although the additional revenue sources are expected to strengthen the financial position of subnational governments, the new tax administration framework also introduces tougher compliance obligations and sanctions.
The Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 outlines a broad range of penalties in Chapter Four, addressing general tax offences as well as offences specific to petroleum sector operations.
Under the general provisions, taxpayers who fail to register with the relevant tax authority or obtain a Taxpayer Identification Number commit an offence. The Act also imposes sanctions for failure to submit tax returns within the required timeframe and for failure to keep proper accounting records as required by law.
The provisions also cover obligations relating to tax deduction at source.
Failure to deduct taxes such as PAYE or Withholding Tax when required by law constitutes an offence, and failure to remit taxes that have been deducted to the appropriate authority also attracts penalties.
Other offences include obstructing authorised officers while performing their duties, refusing to allow access to premises for tax purposes, making false or fictitious claims for tax or VAT refunds, impersonating tax officials, or attempting to induce officials to neglect their duties. Fraud relating to tax stamps or associated documents is also included, while refusal to allow the deployment of approved tax technology or fiscalisation systems, particularly for VAT, is punishable under the Act.
A general penalty applies in instances where no specific sanction is provided.
For companies operating in upstream and midstream petroleum activities, the Act introduces obligations specific to the sector. These include filing estimated and actual returns within the required deadlines, timely payment of petroleum-related taxes, and settlement of royalties on petroleum or mineral resources.
Repeated non-compliance may, in serious situations, result in recommendations for the revocation of operating licences or leases.
The legislation also grants tax authorities enhanced administrative enforcement powers, including the imposition of fixed penalties and interest on unpaid taxes, as well as the power to distrain, enabling the seizure and sale of a taxpayer’s goods, chattels, or property to recover outstanding liabilities.
However, Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, stated that such measures would only be enforced after the appropriate legal procedures had been completed.
The Act also allows authorities to compound certain offences, meaning they may be resolved administratively rather than through full prosecution, while still retaining the power to prosecute offenders before a competent court when necessary.
With the implementation phase now approaching, officials believe that the combination of increased tax-based revenues and stricter compliance provisions will reshape fiscal relations within the federation, giving greater financial capacity and responsibility to state and local governments.
