The Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS) has dismissed concerns that the recently re-gazetted tax laws will impose additional burdens on poor Nigerians, insisting that the reforms are designed to provide relief for low-income earners.

Speaking in an interview on Arise TV, NRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji said more than 95 per cent of poor Nigerians are fully exempted from paying taxes under the new legal framework.

“If you listen to us during the public hearing, the focus of these tax laws is to give relief to the poor and ensure that people at the lower end of the income ladder feel little or no impact,” Adedeji said.

“That is why we say we are taxing right, not taxing more. When you look at the exemptions, you will see that about 95 per cent of the poor are totally exempted. VAT has been removed from food and transportation. The poor are the biggest beneficiaries of these reforms.”

The tax reforms have attracted widespread debate since the re-gazetted laws became fully operational on January 1, 2026, with critics expressing fears over possible economic hardship.

However, Adedeji clarified that the implementation timeline predates January 2026.

“The tax laws did not start on January 1. The reforms became effective the day the President signed them into law on June 26, as passed by the National Assembly,” he said.

“The President did not decide when the laws would begin; that was already provided for in the legislation.”

According to him, two of the laws took effect immediately in June, while the remaining two were given a longer adjustment period in line with existing tax policy.

“When you are changing rates, the law requires at least three months’ notice. We extended that to six months to allow companies enough time to adjust,” Adedeji explained.

“These laws are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set fiscal standards that can sustain the prosperity Nigeria needs.”

On personal income taxation, the NRS chairman noted that such matters largely fall under the authority of state revenue agencies, not the federal government.

“For the federal government, our focus is on corporate taxes. Many of the complaints people raise are actually issues at the state level,” he said.

“As part of the reforms, several states have begun domesticating the laws to address these concerns. Our goal is to help people prosper, because it is from their prosperity that government revenue will grow.”

Adedeji also dismissed claims that the new laws allow tax authorities to pry into private bank accounts, describing such narratives as misinformation driven by tax evasion.

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