President Bola Tinubu has signed into law four major tax reform bills aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s fiscal and revenue administration architecture.
The signing ceremony took place on Thursday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and was witnessed by top-ranking government officials, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, majority leaders of both chambers and chairmen of the finance committees.
Also present were the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, and Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation.
The four new laws are:
Nigeria Tax Bill (Ease of Doing Business)
Nigeria Tax Administration Bill
Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill
Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill
Tinubu said the enactments reflect his administration’s commitment to building a transparent, efficient, and development-oriented tax system that reduces the burden of multiple taxation and encourages investment.
“The reforms are designed to consolidate and modernize our tax regime, reduce inefficiencies, and ensure equitable tax administration across all levels of government,” he said.
The Nigeria Tax Bill consolidates fragmented tax statutes into a unified legal framework, aiming to ease compliance and reduce duplication.
The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill harmonizes tax operations across federal, state, and local government levels to promote consistency and efficiency in tax collection.
The Nigeria Revenue Service Bill repeals the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Act and establishes a new Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) with expanded responsibilities, including the collection of non-tax revenues. It also embeds new mechanisms for transparency and performance accountability.
The Joint Revenue Board Bill creates a national coordination body for tax efforts across all tiers of government. It also establishes a Tax Appeal Tribunal and an Office of the Tax Ombudsman, aimed at strengthening taxpayer rights and dispute resolution.