Tinubu to Enact New Tax Laws, Signs Four Bills on Thursday
By Sholeye Ayodele, Lagos
President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to sign four major tax reform bills into law on Thursday, marking a significant transformation of Nigeria’s fiscal and revenue system.
The bills — the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill — were recently passed by the National Assembly following broad consultations with stakeholders and interest groups.
A statement from presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed that the signing ceremony will take place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. It will be attended by key government officials, including the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Majority Leaders of both chambers, Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Finance, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The Nigeria Tax Bill, also known as the Ease of Doing Business bill, seeks to harmonise the country’s scattered tax laws into a unified framework. This aims to reduce the number of taxes, eliminate redundancy, lower compliance burdens for taxpayers, and provide a more stable and predictable fiscal environment.
The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill introduces a uniform legal and operational structure for tax administration across all tiers of government — federal, state, and local.
The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill replaces the current Federal Inland Revenue Service Act and establishes the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS). This new agency is designed to be more autonomous and performance-oriented, with an expanded mandate that includes both tax and non-tax revenue collection. It also incorporates enhanced transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency.
The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill creates a formal governance framework to improve coordination among revenue-generating bodies across all levels of government. It also establishes important oversight bodies such as a Tax Appeal Tribunal and an Office of the Tax Ombudsman.
Once enacted, these laws are expected to modernize Nigeria’s tax administration, increase government revenue, foster a better business climate, and attract both domestic and foreign investment.
