09/02/2026
Periodically, the Nigerian government introduces reforms intended to improve revenue generation and strengthen public services. In June 2025, a new tax law was announced with similar ambitions.
For many small business owners, however, the announcement immediately raised concerns about survival, unauthorised deductions, multiple levies, rising costs, and the risk of even thinner profit margins.
Although the reform promises income tax exemptions for small businesses below a stated threshold, many traders in Ogun, Lagos and Abuja, who spoke to Social Voices say their daily reality has not changed. Multiple local levies, poor information flow, and weak communication from authorities continue making the promised relief hard to trust.
In our latest report, Yahuza Bawage examines what the reform is designed to achieve, why confidence remains low among informal workers, and what Nigeria might learn from Rwanda’s efforts to rebuild trust while enacting fiscal reform.
Read the full story: https://socialvoices.org/nigerias-new-tax-law-faces-a-trust-gap-rwandas-fiscal-reforms-offer-lessons/
