Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has cautioned that postponing the implementation of Nigeria’s newly signed tax laws beyond January 1, 2026, could worsen the tax burden on workers and businesses nationwide.

Oyedele’s warning follows growing controversy over claims that the versions of the tax laws recently gazetted differ from what was debated and approved by the National Assembly.

The concern was raised last week by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, who alleged that the gazetted laws did not accurately reflect the bills passed by lawmakers.

In response, several civil society organisations and political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have called for the suspension of the laws’ implementation.

However, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Oyedele argued that suspending the laws would hurt the majority of Nigerian workers.

“The implication of not implementing the new tax laws by January 1, 2026, is that the bottom 98 per cent of workers remain overtaxed,” he said.

Oyedele also warned that business owners would lose key reliefs provided under the reforms and continue to face multiple layers of taxation.

“Businesses will miss out on exemptions and will continue to pay multiple taxes, creating large burdens.

“Minimum taxes continue to apply on low and small unprofitable businesses, while hidden VAT keeps the prices of basic consumables like food, healthcare, and education high,” he said.

Rather than suspending the tax laws, Oyedele advised that any issues arising from alleged discrepancies should be addressed directly while implementation proceeds.

“Even if it is established that there have been substantial alterations to what the National Assembly passed, my view is to identify those provisions—they are not part of the law—then implement the law as passed by the NASS while addressing the issues as to how they got there in the first place,” he said.

He acknowledged that some provisions in the laws passed by the National Assembly would still require amendments.

“Even my committee and I have noted areas where we need to go back through Mr President to request amendments to those laws because of issues with referencing and definition,” he explained.

Addressing the specific concerns raised by Rep. Dasuki, Oyedele questioned whether a proper comparison had been made between the versions passed and those gazetted.

“Before you can say there is a difference between what was gazetted and what was passed, we have what has not been gazetted. We don’t have what was passed.

“The official harmonised bills certified by the clerk, which the National Assembly sent to the President, we don’t have a copy to compare. Only the lawmakers can say authoritatively what we sent,” he said.

Oyedele also clarified reports surrounding Section 41(8), which was said to mandate a 20 per cent deposit.

“I know that particular provision is not in the final gazette, but it was in the draft gazette. Some people decided to circulate the report before the committee had met,” he said.

He added that the reports in circulation “did not come from the committee set up by the House of Representatives.”

The four tax reform bills were signed into law by President Bola Tinubu and have been described by the Federal Government as the most comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system in decades.

The laws are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.

They include the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, all operating under the Nigeria Revenue Service framework.

Although the reforms faced opposition from some northern lawmakers before their passage, the government says they are designed to simplify tax compliance, expand the tax base, and modernise Nigeria’s revenue collection system.