The Federal Government has drawn a firm line in the sand, insisting that Nigeria’s sweeping new tax reform laws will take effect on January ...
The Federal Government has drawn a firm line in the sand, insisting that Nigeria’s sweeping new tax reform laws will take effect on January 1, 2026, regardless of mounting scrutiny and political debate.
Emerging from a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Lagos on Friday, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, declared that the administration is pressing ahead with what it describes as a transformative overhaul of the nation’s tax system—one designed to reset the economy, widen the tax net and deliver “shared prosperity” to Nigerians.
Flanked by the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacchaeus Adedeji, and the head of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee, Joseph Tegbe, Oyedele said the government remains unfazed by allegations and legislative concerns surrounding the reforms.
“There are four tax reform laws in total. Two have already taken effect, and the remaining two will commence on January 1, 2026—on schedule,” he said, stressing that the Federal Government is ready to work with the National Assembly but will not derail the implementation timeline.
The reforms—years in the making—have already begun reshaping Nigeria’s fiscal architecture. Two key laws, establishing the Nigerian Revenue Service and the Joint Revenue Service, came into force in June 2025, quietly laying the groundwork for what officials describe as the most ambitious tax reset in decades.
Oyedele revealed that behind the scenes, months of intense preparation have been underway, including system upgrades, capacity building and nationwide sensitisation. “This is not a switch you flip overnight,” he said. “It is a rolling reform, and we are ready.”
Crucially, the government insists the reforms are not a desperate revenue grab. Instead, officials say the strategy is to grow the economy first—bringing millions of Nigerians into the tax net through fairness, simplicity and compliance, rather than higher rates.
“If people who were never paying before begin to pay, revenue will rise naturally,” Oyedele said. “That is how you build a fair society.”
With January 1 fast approaching, the message from the Presidency is unmistakable: the tax reform train has left the station—and there is no turning back.
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