Adedeji Wants Your Taxes to Go Digital - And Fast
The Big Picture: In a year packed with fiscal belt-tightening, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) boss Dr. Zacch Adedeji says Nigeria’s best economic insurance policy is an aggressive, tech-heavy tax makeover as part of the broader reforms outlined in Nigerian Tax Laws 2025 - Comprehensive Tax Reform Legislation. Speaking at the University of Ilesa, he called the current revenue crunch “an opportunity, not a catastrophe,” Punch reports.
The Details: Adedeji laid out four pillars for the reboot, fiscal flexibility, policy coherence, stronger institutions, and adaptable talent, while touting ongoing automation, updated taxpayer IDs, and tighter state-federal coordination mirroring shifts detailed in the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025. Earlier, he told ThisDay the reforms will “future-proof” public finances against oil shocks and climate risks. DailyTrust added that process automation is already trimming paperwork and plugging leakages (DailyTrust).
Why It Matters: Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio still trails African peers, and public buy-in remains shaky. Without “intense grassroots education,” the overhaul could stall, Radio Nigeria warns. For those looking to build a solid foundational understanding of these shifts, our Introduction To Nigerian Tax Laws offers further insights. In short: glitzy software means little if taxpayers stay skeptical.
Around the Tax World
• Going global on gig workers. Nigeria just signed on to OECD data-sharing that will track remote workers’ offshore income, a move FIRS says will "close long-distance loopholes" (Aljazirah News).
• Enugu hits the reset button. Governor Peter Mbah launched a committee to rewrite the state’s tax playbook after SMEs cried foul over “nuisance levies” (BusinessDay).
• E-invoices get their close-up. New federal rules will soon require digital receipts for most sales, quietly widening the tax net without extra audits (The Nation).
• Capital Gains Tax jitters. Market analysts say the planned progressive CGT of up to 30% could chill investment, even after officials insisted competitiveness won’t suffer (ThisDay).
Tax Stat of the Day
30% , the top rate envisioned under Nigeria’s new Capital Gains Tax bands, set to kick in January 2026. Investors are already stress-testing their spreadsheets.
Looking Ahead
All eyes are on the Finance Ministry’s draft 2026 tax bill, due next quarter. That document will translate Adedeji’s four-pillar sermon into hard law, and reveal whether the public awareness campaign can keep pace with the tech rollout.
Prepared by MyTax - mytax.com.ng