The Federal Government (FG) has said that Nigerians earning income through remote work, social media influencing, or business imports will also be required to pay taxes under new reforms effective from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, made the clarification during a tax education session hosted by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, Lagos.
Remote Workers and Influencers Must Self-Declare
Oyedele explained that Nigerians working remotely for foreign companies are legally obligated to declare their income and pay taxes in Nigeria.
He said; “If you are a remote worker, you are a worker, right? You just happen to do your work remotely. You work for a company, that company might be an American company, somewhere in Europe, anywhere, and you earn a salary…That amount of money they pay to you is your salary. You will self-declare it. Because if your employer were to be in Nigeria, they will deduct and pay on your behalf. Because your employer is not in Nigeria, they don’t care about the Nigerian tax system.”
Oyedele warned that failure to self-declare income could result in penalties and interest.
He added that social media influencers earning online revenue are also subject to tax obligations.
“So the same thing applies to influencers. You are influencing online, that’s okay. You earn income, you pay tax as well,” he stated.
Tax Reliefs and Clear Jurisdiction
The chairman also addressed importers, noting that tax reliefs would depend on the type of business, whether trading, manufacturing, or other sectors.
He clarified concerns about overlapping taxes from federal, state, and local governments:
“The new law states clearly what taxes are payable, and who they are payable to. There’s a part of the law that we call jurisdiction…If you are an individual, just worry about personal income tax. If you are doing small business, we remove your taxes. The only one we are trying to deal with now is local government one.”
Oyedele described the reforms as the “most transformative in the nation’s history,” aiming to simplify compliance, reduce disputes over multiple taxation, and boost government revenue.
According to PUNCH, workers earning below N800,000 will be exempt from personal income tax, while companies with turnover up to N100 million and assets not exceeding N250 million will be exempt from company income tax, capital gains tax, and the new development levy.