…calls for suspension of implementation of tax reforms
The National Opposition Movement (NOM) has condemned the Federal Government’s new tax regime as a vicious assault on the economic survival of ordinary Nigerians.
At a press conference held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre on Wednesday, the coalition demanded an immediate halt to the implementation of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, which is scheduled to take effect in January 2026.
Addressing journalists, the NOM leadership characterized the upcoming fiscal changes not as a reform, but as a punitive strategy targeting the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
The group argued that the law’s requirement for all adults including the 70 million unemployed to file tax returns between January and March is mindless and ignores the reality of Nigeria’s poor digital infrastructure and collapsing service delivery.
“You cannot tax hunger, and you cannot tax people into prosperity,” the group stated in its official address.
NOM warned that the policy would truncate any prospect of sustained economic growth by overtaxing small businesses and low-wage earners who are already struggling with the removal of fuel subsidies and soaring inflation.
The movement also raised serious concerns regarding the transparency of the government’s revenue agencies.
The group questioned a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and a French agency criticising the government for refusing to disclose the contents of the deal, alleging that it could compromise Nigeria’s strategic national interests.
The opposition movement also echoed recent criticisms from prominent figures like Professor Wole Soyinka regarding the privatization of the Nigerian state.
NOM pointed to the visible influence of the President’s family in public affairs as evidence that the administration’s policies are designed to cater to a select group of oligarchs rather than the public good.
Identifying as a sentinel of national liberation, NOM aligned itself with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), vowing to resist the new tax plan through all legal means.
