Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of State for Finance, has acknowledged errors in Nigeria’s recently passed tax reform laws and assured that steps are being taken to correct them.
Oyedele addressed the concerns during a fireside chat at the 2026 annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association section on legal practice.
The event, themed ‘From Policy to Practice: Making Sense of Nigeria’s New Tax Reforms’, provided a platform for discussions on the implementation of the new laws.
In a social media post on Friday, April 10, the fiscal reforms committee said the minister acknowledged “that errors occurred due to manual processes and multiple stages of review” in the law-making process.
Oyedele said measures are already underway to address the identified issues through a proposed finance bill.
“What we need is a more transparent and reliable legislative process where every version of a law is publicly available,” he said.
The admission follows concerns raised by Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives from Sokoto, who claimed on December 17, 2025, that the gazetted tax laws differ from what the National Assembly passed.
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The House subsequently set up a seven-member panel to investigate the alleged discrepancies. Oyedele had earlier asked Nigerians to await the findings of the investigation.
The minister assured that enforcement of the new tax laws would not be arbitrary, noting that the reforms are based on clear policy intent, transparency, and fairness.
He stressed the importance of understanding the rationale behind tax laws rather than focusing solely on their provisions, adding that policy intent should guide both interpretation and implementation.
Oyedele highlighted inconsistencies in Nigeria’s previous tax regime, particularly the disparity between personal and corporate tax burdens, which he said discouraged business formalization.
He explained that the reforms are designed to incentivize business formalization, ensure policy consistency, and reduce discretion in tax administration.
Reflecting on past challenges, he said policy inconsistencies, including abrupt proposals to increase taxes on gas companies, had previously discouraged foreign investment.
“If policies can change overnight, it sends the wrong signal to investors. Consistency is critical,” he said.