The Federal Government has raised concerns that some individuals are deliberately working to undermine the success of its ongoing tax reforms, insisting that the policies are pro-poor and aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s revenue base without hurting ordinary citizens.
The Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of a Joint Committee of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
According to Fasua, the newly inaugurated committee has been tasked with tackling misinformation and disinformation surrounding the reforms, which he said were being pushed by those determined to see the policies fail.
He stressed that the tax reforms were not designed to place additional burdens on Nigerians, particularly the poor and small business owners, but rather to recalibrate national revenue generation in a fair and sustainable way.
“This is a pro-poor policy. It is about ensuring that the poorest Nigerians are protected and only benefit positively from the reforms, despite the resistance we are seeing from some quarters,” Fasua said.
He cited the partial opening of the Brass–Nembe Road as an example of how improved tax revenue could translate into visible infrastructure development, adding that Nigeria would also draw lessons from other countries that have successfully implemented similar reforms.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, reiterated that the reforms were designed to ease economic pressure on Nigerians, not worsen it. He lamented that misinformation had continued to create fear and anger around the policies.
The reforms are scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026, and include exemptions for small businesses, reduced tax burdens for workers and the middle class, lower corporate tax rates, harmonisation of multiple taxes across different levels of government, simplified compliance processes and the removal of nuisance taxes to encourage investment.
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Also speaking, the Director-General of the NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Nura Kobi, said the agency would activate its 16 communication platforms across all 774 local government areas to properly educate Nigerians on the new tax laws.
Issa-Onilu emphasised that while the reforms are yet to begin, it is crucial for citizens to clearly understand what the policies mean, why they are necessary and how they will be implemented.
“Public policies rarely fail because they are poorly designed. They fail when they are poorly communicated. If the message is not understood, the messenger must return,” he said.
