Eighteen Nigerian states adopt harmonized tax law, reducing collection items to nine
One year into Nigeria's tax reform, eighteen State Houses of Assembly have implemented the country's model harmonized taxes and levies law. The change consolidates over fifty disparate collection items into just nine standardized sub-heads while abolishing cash transactions and roadblocks.
At the Joint Revenue Board's 160th meeting in Kaduna, executive secretary Olusegun Adesokan announced that eighteen states have domesticated Nigeria's model harmonised taxes and levies law. This action marks a key milestone one year into the nation's tax reform implementation. The legislation has replaced more than fifty separate collection items previously handled by different states and local governments with nine standard sub-heads. Officials confirmed that cash transactions have been removed from revenue administration, and roadblocks used to collect taxes are no longer permitted. Adesokan stated the reforms aim to stop leakages and reduce business costs without increasing tax rates. The new framework eliminates nuisance levies and provides relief for low-income earners and micro-enterprises. Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani emphasized that revenue collection goals should not override institutional reform objectives.
