The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected claims that the Federal Government’s newly introduced tax reforms are designed to place additional financial pressure on poor Nigerians, describing such assertions as misleading, alarmist, and politically motivated.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, the party expressed concern over what it described as widespread misinformation and sensational narratives surrounding the new tax laws. According to the APC, the reforms are intentionally structured to protect low-income earners while creating a more equitable, progressive, and efficient tax system for the country.
The party stressed that contrary to claims by critics, the new tax framework expands exemptions and significantly reduces tax exposure for Nigerians within the lowest income brackets.
“The new tax reform is not a weapon against the poor, nor is it an attempt to overburden struggling Nigerians,” the APC stated. “On the contrary, the reform is deliberately structured to protect low-income earners, expand exemptions, and introduce a more progressive, fair, and humane tax system that aligns with global best practices.”
According to the party, the reforms are aimed at addressing longstanding structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s tax system, including multiple taxation, overlapping regulatory mandates, revenue leakages, and weak enforcement mechanisms. These challenges, it noted, have over the years constrained economic growth, discouraged investment, and undermined public confidence in the tax system.
The APC further explained that the reforms would deliver significant benefits to businesses, particularly Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), by simplifying tax compliance, eliminating nuisance taxes, and creating a more predictable and business-friendly fiscal environment.
For larger corporations, the party said the new framework promotes fairness by ensuring that profitable companies contribute their equitable share to national development, rather than allowing tax evasion and avoidance to persist.
“Nigeria can no longer run a modern economy on an archaic, fragmented, and oil-dependent tax structure,” the statement noted. “For decades, the nation has suffered from multiple taxation, overlapping mandates, leakages, and weak enforcement—a system that stifled businesses, discouraged investment, and rewarded tax evasion. This reform decisively confronts those failures.”
Describing the reforms as pro-growth and pro-investment, the APC emphasised that taxation remains a critical instrument for funding essential public services such as infrastructure development, education, healthcare, security, and social protection programmes.
“For businesses, especially MSMEs, the reform simplifies compliance, removes nuisance taxes, and creates a more predictable fiscal environment. For large corporations, it ensures fairness by making profitable entities contribute their fair share to national development. This is not anti-business; it is pro-growth, pro-investment, and pro-Nigeria,” the party added.
The APC urged Nigerians to resist what it described as the politics of fear, distortion, and misinformation, calling for informed and constructive public engagement with the reform process rather than partisan attacks. While acknowledging that reforms of such magnitude require transparency, sensitivity, and careful implementation, the party said constructive criticism remains welcome.
However, it warned against the deliberate spread of false information that could undermine public understanding and acceptance of the reforms.
The party’s defence of the tax reforms comes amid growing criticism from political actors, labour groups, and civil society organisations, who argue that the new tax laws could deepen the financial burden on Nigerians already struggling with the effects of petrol subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.
The new tax laws, which came into effect on January 1, represent a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s tax framework. Speaking at a recent event in Lagos, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed that fewer than 10 million individuals in Nigeria are currently active taxpayers.
Oyedele noted that the success of the new tax regime would depend largely on the availability of accurate and reliable data. He added that while the Federal Government would provide overall policy direction and harmonisation, state and local governments would play a central role in implementation, administration, and service delivery.
As debate continues, the APC insists that the reforms are a necessary step toward building a sustainable, inclusive, and growth-oriented economy, urging Nigerians to assess the policies based on facts rather than fear-driven narratives.
