TRENDING: ‘Runs girls’, social media influencers in Nigeria will pay tax – Taiwo Oyedele

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The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has disclosed that enacted tax reform laws, signed in June, make no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate forms of work.

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PREMIUM TIMES reported that the reforms consolidate four key legislations: the Nigerian Tax Act (NTA), the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA), the Nigerian Revenue Service (Establishment) Act (NRSEA), and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act (JRBEA).

The NTA and NTAA are scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2026, while the NRSEA and JRBEA will commence on 26 June 2025.

Responding to questions from both in-person and virtual participants during a session on “Tax Compliance and Planning” with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), streamed on the church’s YouTube page on 26 September, Mr Oyedele stated that anyone providing a service would be required to pay tax.

Mr Oyedele’s remarks reflect Nigeria’s urgent search for new revenue sources as the country grapples with falling oil earnings and rising fiscal pressures.

Runs Girls

He cited sex workers, commonly referred to as “runs girls,” as an example, stressing that they too would be included in the drive to broaden Nigeria’s revenue base.

Mr Oyedele noted: “If someone is rendering a service, such a person will pay tax. There’s this extreme example that you probably should not even say in a church, but just to bring it home, if somebody is doing runs with girls. They go and look for men to sleep with. You know, that’s a service. They will pay tax on it.

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“One thing about the tax law is that it does not separate whether what you are doing is legitimate. It doesn’t even ask you. It just asks you whether you have an income. Did you get it from renting a service or providing a good, you pay tax? So if you give upkeep to anyone, they’re free. They won’t pay tax.”

He added that the new Tax Act would also cover social media influencers and remote workers earning income in foreign currency.

Mr Oyedele clarified that the proposed tax reform bills would ease the tax burden on 90 per cent of Nigerian workers.