By SUNTV Global Channel | December 27, 2025
The Federal Government has insisted that Nigeria’s newly signed tax reform laws will take effect on January 1, 2026, despite growing controversy and allegations that the documents signed by President Bola Tinubu differ from those passed by the National Assembly.
Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, made the declaration on Friday after a closed-door meeting with President Tinubu in Lagos. The meeting was also attended by the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacchaeus Adedeji, and the Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee, Joseph Tegbe.
“The plan to commence the new laws on January 1, 2026, will go ahead as scheduled,” Oyedele told journalists, describing the reforms as measures designed to ease the tax burden on Nigerians.
According to him, 98 percent of workers will pay little or no Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax, while 97 percent of small businesses will be exempt from Corporate Income Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT), and Withholding Tax. He added that large companies would also benefit from reduced tax obligations.
President Tinubu signed four tax reform bills into law on June 26, 2025, a move the administration has described as the most significant overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system in decades. Central to the reforms is the creation of a unified revenue authority to be known as the Nigeria Revenue Service.
However, the reforms have been engulfed in controversy. Lawmakers and civil society groups have raised concerns that the versions of the bills signed into law were allegedly altered after being passed by parliament.
Earlier this month, Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives, alleged that the gazetted documents available to the public do not reflect what lawmakers debated and approved.
“Our legislative rights have been breached,” Dasuki said. “What the President signed is not what we passed. Even as a lawmaker, I do not have a certified copy of what was transmitted.”
He accused the Clerk of the National Assembly of failing to produce the harmonised and certified copies meant for presidential assent, fuelling speculation that key provisions may have been modified without legislative approval.
The bills faced strong opposition before their passage, particularly from northern lawmakers. Several members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) joined opposition voices in warning that the reforms could worsen regional economic inequality and concentrate excessive revenue powers in the Presidency.
Concerns have also been raised by business groups and civil society organisations over the speed of implementation. Some business owners fear a compliance crisis, as banks are reportedly preparing to enforce new rules requiring Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) before account access.
Opposition politicians have condemned the January 1 deadline as “arbitrary and reckless,” accusing the Tinubu administration of pushing through a multi-trillion-naira restructuring without adequate transparency or consultation.
The Federal Government has dismissed the allegations of document tampering, describing them as politically motivated. Oyedele maintained that there is “no going back,” while stating that the government remains open to engaging the National Assembly to address outstanding concerns.
Analysts say this position suggests the government is under pressure to contain the controversy as the deadline draws closer.
Unless the National Assembly moves to suspend implementation, the new tax laws are expected to take effect at midnight on January 1, 2026 — a development insiders warn could trigger a major constitutional showdown in the new year.
SUNTV Global Channel — If You See Something, Say Something.
