Nigerians earning income from remote jobs, social media influencing, or imports will begin paying tax from January 1, 2026, under the Federal Government’s new fiscal reforms.
Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, said Nigerians working for foreign companies are required to declare their earnings in Nigeria. He explained, “If you are a remote worker, you are a worker. You may be employed by a company in the U.S. or Europe, but what you earn is still your salary. You are required to self-declare it.”
He warned that those who fail to declare their income would be traced and penalised. “If you refuse to declare, the government will see the movement of the money, deem it as your income, charge you tax, add penalty and interest,” he said.
Oyedele noted that the same rules apply to influencers, saying, “You are influencing online, that’s okay. You earn income, you pay tax as well.”
On concerns about multiple taxation, he said the new law clearly defines jurisdiction across federal, state and local governments. “At the end of the day, whatever number of taxes you are paying now is reduced significantly to a few,” he said.
He described the reform as “the most transformative in the nation’s history,” aimed at simplifying compliance, reducing disputes, and boosting government revenue.
