Nigeria's Joint Revenue Board Enforces Tax Law to Cut Levies

At least 21 states in Nigeria have adopted the Harmonised Taxes and Levies law, which aims to reduce multiple taxation and prohibits the collection of taxes and levies at roadblocks. Olusegun Adesokan, the executive secretary of the Joint Revenue Board (JRB), announced this at a media briefing, highlighting that the law was developed in collaboration with the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform.

The law consolidates hundreds of taxes into nine categories, providing clarity and consistency for businesses. It bans cash collection on roads, with offenders facing potential jail time.

The JRB is collaborating with the police to enforce this ban and eliminate non-state actors from transport corridors. Adesokan linked the practice of illegal tax collection to rising living costs and stated that the President is committed to ending it.

He noted that revenue returns from 23 states increased by 27 percent in the first half of the year, amounting to N2.2 trillion, up from N1.75 trillion in the same period last year.