Tax reform law: Reps allege discrepancy between passed bill, gazetted copy

A member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, has raised the alarm over alleged discrepancies between the tax reform law passed by the National Assembly and the version published in the official gazette.

Dasuki, who represents Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, raised the issue on the floor of the House during Wednesday’s plenary while speaking under a point of privilege.

He said the copy of the law gazetted and available to the public does not reflect what lawmakers debated, harmonised and eventually passed.

According to him, the gazette — which serves as the authoritative public record of laws after presidential assent — is relied upon by government agencies, the courts and citizens as the law in force, making any inconsistency a serious matter.

“What was passed on this floor is not what has been gazetted. Mr Speaker and honourable colleagues, I was present, I voted, and my vote was counted. Yet, what I am seeing in the gazetted copy is completely different,” Dasuki said.

He disclosed that he personally obtained copies of the gazetted law from the Ministry of Information and compared them with the versions approved by the House, noting clear differences.

“I am calling on the Speaker to graciously look into what was harmonised, what was passed by this House, and what has been gazetted for public consumption,” he added.

The lawmaker warned that the situation amounted to a constitutional breach and urged the House to treat the matter with urgency.

“This is a breach of the Constitution and our laws, and it should not be taken lightly by this honourable House,” he said