New tax laws: Nigerians afraid due to misinformation – Mustapha
Sadiq Muhammad Mustapha, Programme Lead at the Tax Justice and Governance Platform (TJ&GP), has said public fear surrounding Nigeria’s new tax reforms is largely driven by misinformation and poor understanding of the laws.
Mustapha said this in an exclusive interview with SOCIETYWATCH on Saturday, where he explained that the reforms are mainly a review and consolidation of existing tax laws and are designed to reduce, not increase, the burden on taxpayers especially low-income earners.
“People are getting scared because of misinformation. They don’t really understand the provisions of the new laws,” he said.
In fact, many people are expected to pay much less than they used to, particularly those earning less.”
He explained that the tax reforms are made up of four key laws, each addressing different aspects of Nigeria’s tax system.
According to him, the first is the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA), which focuses on how tax policies, systems, and procedures should be managed.
“In simple terms, the NTAA talks about tax administration, how taxes should be handled, collected, and enforced,” Mustapha said.
The second law is the Nigerian Tax Act (NTA), which he described as a major reform aimed at ending multiple taxation.
