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By Staff Reporter
Abuja | December 31, 2025
The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has dismissed claims that Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws were designed to impose economic hardship on citizens, describing such assertions as misleading and inaccurate.
Bamidele said the legislation is a people-centred reform aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s fiscal base, eliminating inefficiencies in the tax system, and ultimately improving the living standards of Nigerians.
He made the clarification in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday amid growing public debate and criticism from opposition figures over the implementation of the new tax regime.
“The new tax law was not initiated to inflict economic hardship on ordinary people, as is being misconstrued in the public space,” Bamidele stated.
Collaborative Reform Process
According to the Senate Leader, the National Assembly worked closely with other arms of government in designing and passing the reforms, while maintaining its constitutional independence.
“The Senate, indeed the National Assembly, has collaborated with other arms of government to effect these reforms without any prejudice to our constitutionally guaranteed independence,” he said.
Bamidele noted that the legislature recorded significant achievements in the 2025 financial year, including the enactment of a new tax regime, the elimination of multiple budget practices, constitutional review initiatives, and reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral system.
Ending Multiple Taxation
He described the 2025 Tax Reforms Act as the most consequential of the legislative reforms, explaining that its core objective is to harmonise Nigeria’s tax framework and end the burden of multiple taxation.
“The enactment of the 2025 Tax Reforms Act is perhaps the most consequential of all these reforms. Its primary intention is to introduce a cohesive tax regime that will, from January 1, 2026, end the era of multiple taxation and ensure an improved quality of life for Nigerians, especially those at the lowest rung of our economy,” he said.
The Senate Leader stressed that the law was passed after extensive consultations with stakeholders across business, political and social sectors.
“The Act, duly enacted after multi-level consultations with stakeholders, does not represent the gloomy picture being painted by opposition forces,” Bamidele added.
Revenue Growth, Not Public Hardship
Bamidele explained that the reforms are designed to address long-standing fiscal and liquidity challenges that have slowed national development, while ensuring fairness in tax administration.
He urged Nigerians to study the provisions of the law rather than rely on what he described as deliberate misinformation.
“Rather than taking a cursory look at the law, Nigerians across all socio-economic strata should study the Tax Reforms Act and understand its ambitious goals, especially as Nigeria seeks to align with global best practices in modern tax administration,” he said.
He also rejected claims that the National Assembly merely rubber-stamps executive decisions, reaffirming the Senate’s commitment to checks and balances.
“Away from the rubber-stamp narrative, the Senate will continue to guide and offer necessary advice to other arms of government in line with constitutional principles and in the overall interest of Nigerians,” Bamidele stated.
Tinubu Reaffirms Commitment
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed that the implementation of the new tax laws—including those enacted on June 26, 2025, and others scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026—will proceed as planned.
The President described the reforms as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a fair, competitive and robust fiscal foundation for Nigeria.”
He stressed that the laws are not intended to raise taxes indiscriminately but to drive structural reforms, promote harmonisation, protect human dignity and strengthen the social contract between government and citizens.
Tinubu urged stakeholders to support the implementation phase, noting that the reforms are now “firmly in the delivery stage,” with no substantial issues identified to justify halting the process.
