Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Government has issued comprehensive implementation guidelines for the Tax Acts 2025, establishing a formal framework for Nigeria’s transition from its repealed tax laws to a new tax regime that takes effect from January 1, 2026, the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday, June 18. The guidelines, released by the Federal Ministry of Finance, are addressed to taxpayers, tax practitioners, revenue authorities and other stakeholders, and cover a wide range of transitional issues, including the treatment of existing tax liabilities, ongoing audits, pending incentive applications, and transactions that straddle both the old and new legal regimes.
Speaking on the release, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, described the document as a framework for managing transitional issues while ensuring that the new laws are not applied with retroactive effect. “The Guidelines are anchored on three key principles — clarity, fairness and administrative certainty,” Oyedele said. He described the enactment of the Tax Acts 2025 as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s tax reform programme, noting that the guidelines set out how existing obligations, ongoing matters and future transactions will be treated under the new regime.
The Tax Acts 2025 comprise four major statutes introduced as part of Nigeria’s tax reform agenda: the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act. Each law carries its own commencement date as enacted. The Nigeria Tax Act, 2025, in particular, takes effect from January 1, 2026. According to the document, tax returns covering accounting periods that ended before that date must be filed under the previous legal framework, while returns due from January 1, 2026, onward will fall under the new regime. All tax liabilities, assessments, audits, investigations, disputes and enforcement actions relating to periods before January 1, 2026, will continue to be handled under the repealed laws.
Existing tax incentives and exemptions granted under the repealed laws will remain valid until they expire, providing continuity for businesses and investors that had secured such reliefs under the old framework. However, new applications and pending requests will be reviewed under the provisions of the Tax Acts 2025. The document also addresses the treatment of income taxes and transaction taxes, development levies, record-keeping obligations, and cross‑regime transactions that begin under one legal order and conclude under the other.
The Ministry said the guidelines are intended to ensure uniformity in implementation across all revenue administration bodies, including the Nigeria Revenue Service, State Internal Revenue Services, the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Local Government Revenue Committees, and the broader community of tax practitioners. The government reaffirmed its commitment to building what it described as a transparent, efficient and modern tax system that supports economic growth, strengthens revenue administration, encourages voluntary compliance and improves the country’s investment climate.
The release of the guidelines marks the latest step in the administration’s broader effort to modernise tax administration, improve compliance and expand government revenues without undermining economic growth. The reforms are part of a wider strategy to build a more transparent and efficient fiscal system capable of supporting economic growth and enhancing the country’s attractiveness to investors.
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