FG has bowed to pressure and suspended the rollout of new tax laws.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Federal Government has temporarily halted the rollout of Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws, creating a waiting period for businesses and taxpayers, as uncertainty surrounds the final approved version of the legislation.
The Chairman of the Presidential Tax Reform Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos at the 2026 Economic Outlook event organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He said he had directed the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) to suspend the issuance of implementation guidelines until clarity is achieved on the definitive text of the laws.
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According to Oyedele, conflicting versions of the tax laws are currently in circulation, raising concerns about their authenticity. He noted that his team tried to obtain official printed copies from the government printer but was informed that all copies had been taken by the National Assembly, which has restricted public access pending its internal review.
While such legislative review is part of the lawmaking process, Oyedele said the situation contradicts the Acts Authentication Act, which stipulates that only copies published by the government printer serve as the lawful and authoritative version of any enacted law.
He also revealed that the National Assembly is preparing its own gazette, which has not yet been finalised, further deepening the uncertainty.
“We cannot issue guidelines because we are not 100 per cent certain this is the final official position,” Oyedele said.
Efforts to obtain comments from the spokespersons of the Senate and the House of Representatives were unsuccessful as of press time.
The delay has effectively slowed the implementation of Nigeria’s tax reform agenda, leaving government agencies, businesses, and other stakeholders in a holding pattern as they await the release of the definitive and legally recognised version of the new tax laws.
