FACT-CHECK: Has the govt not made tax reform bill publicly available as X user claims?

Claim: Nigerian government has not made the tax reform bill available to the public.

Verdict: Misleading.

Full Text:

As the proposed tax reform bill continues to stir heated conversation both in the National Assembly and media, an X user claims that the debate is caused by non-availability of the tax reform document in the public domain.

The claim has been viewed by more than 7,000 X users, potentially influencing conversations.

Recall that the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Senator Ali Ndume, one of the critics of the bill, recently vehemently objected to the rapid passage of bill in the House.

‘Ndume’ and ‘Tax Reform Bill’ trended for days on X as the debate raged on.

The tax reform bill and Senator Ndume has been mentioned in more than 15,000 tweets on X

Verification:

Ripples Nigeria keyword search (“tax reform bill pdf”) shows that there is a dedicated website for the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee.

On the landing page of the website is a post dated October 2024. The post reads: “The proposed bills aim to establish a comprehensive framework for the major tax laws being:

“The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 2024 HB No.1756; The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill 2024 No.1757; The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill 2024 Bill No HB. 1758; The Nigeria Tax Bill HB No.1759.”

At the tail of the post, two links were provided to download the bill document.

On clicking on the links, Ripples Nigeria was able to download 160-page and 213-page documents, both entailing the provisions of the bill with varying details.

A collage of the first pages of the documents

Conclusion:

Contrary to social media user’s claim, the government has made the controversial Tax Reform Bill publicly available.

By: Quadri Yahya

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