Falana Insists New Tax Legal guidelines Can not Take Impact Amid Alleged Forgery, Threatens Authorized Motion
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has said that the brand new tax legal guidelines can’t be enforced till controversies over their legitimacy, sparked by allegations of unauthorised insertions, are resolved.
Falana made the remarks on Wednesday whereas talking with journalists in his hometown of Ilawe-Ekiti.
He criticised the Federal Authorities for not utilizing the ultimate days of 2025 to deal with issues and make verified copies of the tax legal guidelines publicly accessible earlier than their deliberate graduation on January 1, 2026.
“If that was not performed, the federal government will put itself in hassle by deciding to implement the legal guidelines. There are curiosity {groups} able to problem the legitimacy of the legal guidelines,” he warned.
Allegations have emerged that sure provisions have been illicitly inserted into the tax payments handed by the Nationwide Meeting, that means the legal guidelines signed by President Bola Tinubu on June 26, 2025, differ from the variations initially accepted by lawmakers.
President Tinubu, in a personally signed assertion on Tuesday, affirmed that the brand new tax legal guidelines, together with these enacted on June 26, 2025, would take impact as scheduled.
Nonetheless, Falana insisted that the legal guidelines couldn’t take impact till all questions relating to their authenticity are resolved.
“The legal guidelines can not take impact till the controversies surrounding the legitimacy of the provisions are addressed. There are questions concerning the genuine tax legal guidelines, so which legal guidelines are we speaking about? Till we’ve got clear copies of the tax legal guidelines, you can’t discuss a graduation date,” he mentioned.
He additional criticised the Nationwide Meeting for a scarcity of transparency, noting, “There’s a critical allegation that some objects have been smuggled into the brand new tax legal guidelines. Some have described it as forgery.
“Whichever method you have a look at it, the Nationwide Meeting has itself in charge. At the present time, it’s unacceptable that we can not entry payments handed by the Nationwide Meeting and signed into legislation by the President. Why are the payments not on the Nationwide Meeting’s web site?”
Falana urged the federal government to make sure Nigerians are well-informed concerning the provisions and to justify the imposition of taxes.
“As taxes are going to be imposed on Nigerians, the federal, state, and native governments ought to be ready to justify the cost of taxes.
“The federal government should be prepared to make use of the taxes to combat poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and infrastructural decay. The federal government can not anticipate Nigerians to pay extra taxes if they can’t ship their kids to highschool, pay astronomical medical payments, and even purchase meals,” he mentioned.
He additionally threatened authorized motion in opposition to the federal government over what he described as discriminatory insurance policies underneath the brand new tax legal guidelines, which exclude sure worthwhile firms from taxation.
“Beneath the brand new legal guidelines, a few of those that become profitable and deposit in banks each day are excluded from paying taxes. Free commerce zones have been established the place the richest firms function, and they’re exempted from paying federal, state, and native taxes in addition to import duties.
“In order for you progressive taxation, the wealthy should pay greater than the poor, however the reverse is the case underneath the brand new regime.
“That is unjust, discriminatory, and unlawful. Any legislation inconsistent with the Structure should be struck down. These making big earnings can’t be excluded from paying taxes—it’s ridiculous,” Falana concluded.