Photo Credit: The Punch
2025-12-24 06:24:00
In an update published by Punch, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are calling for an immediate suspension of Nigeria’s newly signed tax reform laws, citing allegations that the gazetted text differs from what lawmakers passed.
The NBA’s concern is procedural legitimacy: if a law’s final text was altered after legislative passage, then implementation becomes legally risky—especially for businesses planning compliance, pricing, and payroll systems around the new regime.
Atiku’s position is more politically charged, urging investigation and framing the controversy as a major governance breach that could undermine democratic lawmaking.
The dispute has also opened a second front: whether the executive should proceed with the planned January 1, 2026 implementation date while lawmakers investigate.
Vanguard reported Atiku asked EFCC to probe the “illegal and unauthorised alterations,” while also quoting the NBA’s call that “all plans for implementation… should be immediately suspended.”
Echotitbits take: If this isn’t resolved fast, you risk a compliance freeze—companies won’t know which text to obey, and investors hate legal ambiguity. The smart move is a rapid, transparent harmonisation process (and publication of the verified final text) before January 1.
Source: The Punch — December 24, 2025 (https://punchng.com/nba-atiku-demand-new-tax-law-suspension/)
The Punch 2025-12-24
