Joint Revenue Board debunks reports on suspension of new tax laws

The Joint Revenue Board (JRB) has dismissed reports claiming that the implementation of Nigeria’s new tax laws has been suspended, describing them as false, misleading and without any legal basis.

In a statement issued on Sunday, January 18, 2026, the Board clarified that the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025 and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, which took effect from January 1, 2026, remain fully operational and binding on all taxpayers.

“The Joint Revenue Board wishes to draw the attention of the public to a false and misleading report currently circulating in sections of the media, claiming that the implementation of the new tax laws has been suspended,” the statement read.

The Board categorically denied the claim, stressing that both laws were duly passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on June 26, 2025, and have since come into full force.

“All provisions of the Acts are in effect, and relevant institutions at the federal and sub-national levels are proceeding with the implementation of the laws,” the JRB stated.

It urged Nigerians to disregard the reports in their entirety and continue to comply with the provisions of the extant tax laws, noting that compliance is critical to Nigeria’s socio-economic development and sustainability.

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The Board reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, collaboration with stakeholders, and timely clarification of issues that may arise in the course of implementing the reforms.

“The JRB remains committed to transparency, collaboration with stakeholders, and providing timely clarification where necessary to ensure public confidence in the tax reform process. Nigerians are urged to rely only on communications from official government sources for accurate information,” the statement added.

The clarification follows growing speculation in some quarters that the government was considering suspending the new tax regime in response to calls from interest groups and stakeholders seeking a six-month grace period.

However, the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, had earlier dismissed such calls, describing any suspension of the laws as unconstitutional.

“In a democracy, a law cannot be suspended once it has been passed and assented to, except under extreme circumstances such as a state of emergency or a court order. We are not in a state of emergency,” Adedeji said in an interview last week.

He warned that suspending the tax laws would create a dangerous legal vacuum in the country’s revenue collection framework.

“If we collect revenue without a law, we become armed robbers. And if we don’t collect taxes for six months, how does the country survive? No sustainable economy can function without revenue,” he stated.

The new tax laws form a central part of the federal government’s ongoing fiscal reform agenda, aimed at strengthening revenue mobilisation, improving efficiency in tax administration, and ensuring fairness and accountability in the tax system.

With the JRB’s latest clarification, authorities have again reiterated that there is no suspension, pause, or reversal of the new tax regime, and that full compliance remains mandatory across all sectors of the economy.