The Federal Government has reaffirmed its resolve to commence the implementation of the newly enacted tax laws from January 1, insisting that there has been no change to the version signed into law.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the clarification on Tuesday in Abuja amid public controversy over reports that the gazetted copy of the Tax Administration Act had been altered.

Idris said the laws followed the proper legislative route, including consultations, debates at the National Assembly and eventual assent by the President, stressing that the administration recognises only one authentic version.

“Government is going ahead with commencement of implementation, noting as changed,” Idris said last night.

He explained that concerns about possible discrepancies in the gazette were raised at the National Assembly and that the executive would rely on the outcome of the legislature’s probe.

He said: “I think it is important for us to wait for the National Assembly to look at this again to tell us whether there were discrepancies or not.

“This is, at this point, an affair of the National Assembly to which I have no jurisdiction, and I have no authority to speak about.

“As far as the government of Nigeria is concerned, there’s only one version of that tax document.”

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The minister spoke while reviewing the performance of the Tinubu administration in 2025, outlining achievements as well as challenges faced during the year.

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His stance was supported by the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, and the immediate past Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, who both urged Nigerians to ignore unofficial documents in circulation.

Oyedele warned against drawing conclusions from unverified copies of the law, noting that there was confusion about what constituted the final version approved by lawmakers. He explained that only the harmonised document certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly and transmitted to the President could be regarded as binding.

He said: “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 was sent…

“Even I cannot say that I have it. I only have what was presented to Mr President to sign.”

Addressing widespread claims about a controversial clause, particularly Section 41(8), which suggested a requirement for a 20 per cent deposit, Oyedele said the provision had been misunderstood.

“I know that particular provision is not in the final gazette, but it was in the draft gazette,” he said.

He disclosed that after reaching out to the House of Representatives committee handling the matter, he was informed that no formal decision had been taken, attributing the confusion to premature actions by unidentified individuals.

“Some people decided that they should write the report of the committee before the committee had met, and it had circulated everywhere,” Oyedele said.

Urging patience, he maintained that the circulating document did not originate from the committee set up by the House and called on the public to allow lawmakers to conclude their inquiry.

“What is out there in the media did not come from the committee set up by the House of Representatives. I think we should allow them to do their investigation,” Oyedele said on Channel Television’s Morning Brief.