Dare Babalola
A member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, has called for an urgent review of the tax laws passed by the National Assembly, amid allegations that the version officially gazetted contains discrepancies compared to the one approved by both chambers.
Dasuki made the call while speaking under matters of privilege at Wednesday’s plenary session, where he urged the House to re-examine the harmonised version of the tax bills alongside the gazetted copy to determine the source of the discrepancies.
He informed his colleagues that a thorough examination of legislative records revealed discrepancies, indicating that the circulating documents don’t match the decisions made on the floors of both the House and Senate.
He said, “I’m here today because my privilege has been breached as a member of this all-important House. Mr Speaker, Honorable colleagues, we passed the tax laws (bills) on this floor. I took my time in the last three days to look at the gazetted copy.
“I also looked at the votes and proceedings of the House of Representatives, and also went an extra mile to look at the votes and proceedings of the Senate, which were harmonized.
“Mister Speaker, Honourable colleagues, what was passed on this floor is not what is gazetted.
“I’m coming under privilege, because I was here. I gave my vote, and it was counted, and I’m seeing something completely different.
“On that note and on this privilege, I call on Mr Speaker to graciously look at what was harmonised and what is in the gazetted copy- what was passed in the House and the Senate.
“You will find out that what is before Nigerians, which is being sold to Nigerians at the Ministry of Information, is not what was passed.”
Dasuki specifically urged lawmakers to collectively revisit the approved documents to verify and correct any inconsistencies, ensuring accuracy.
The lawmaker added, “I plead that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole so that we can make the relevant amendments.”
He warned that failure to review and address the situation would amount to a constitutional breach.
“This is a breach of the Constitution and our laws, and this should not be taken by this Honorable House,” he added.
In response, House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, assured members that the leadership would take necessary steps to review the issue.
Abbas said the House would look into the issue and address it in the interest of the nation.
