Adedeji Assures Lower-Income Earners of Tax Relief as New Laws Take Effect in January 2026

|By Babatunji Wusu

The Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, has urged lower-cadre income earners to closely examine their January salaries, saying the effects of Nigeria’s new tax laws will be evident when compared with deductions under the repealed framework.

Adedeji made the assertion on Tuesday while speaking on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, where he maintained that the revised tax regime prioritises relief for low-income workers rather than imposing additional financial pressure.

According to him, workers within the lower income bracket will experience reduced tax deductions, a change expected to reflect clearly in salary payments by the end of January 2026. He explained that the new tax laws were designed to safeguard Nigerians’ disposable income by exempting essential expenditures such as food and transportation from transactional taxes.

“By the time the salary is being paid by the end of January, the salary earner in that lower cadre will confirm, compared to what they’ve paid under the old law,” Adedeji said.

The revenue chief also dismissed circulating claims and speculation surrounding the new tax framework, describing them as unfounded. He noted that many of the fears expressed earlier in the year had failed to materialise.

“As you can see, we are already in mid-January. All those myths that were being peddled are nowhere to be found,” he added.