Budget Office Warns Nigerians Against Speculation as New Tax Laws Take Effect January 1, 2026
The Budget Office of the Federation has advised Nigerians to exercise caution and avoid relying on speculation or unverified narratives surrounding the country’s newly enacted tax laws as formal implementation commences on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
In an official statement released on Wednesday and obtained by PulseNets, the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, reaffirmed the credibility and due process behind the tax reform framework, stressing that misinformation could weaken democratic institutions if left unchecked.
Yakubu warned that the unchecked circulation of claims from questionable sources has the potential to erode public confidence in governance, a risk he described as both serious and avoidable.
“No nation can be effectively governed on the basis of insinuations or sustained by documents whose origins cannot be verified,” the statement read, adding that once public trust is damaged by speculation, restoring it becomes an uphill task.
The Budget Office further emphasised that the Federal Government remains firmly committed to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the tax laws, noting that reform efforts must not be derailed by conjecture that has yet to be substantiated.
According to the statement, learnt by PulseNets, governance processes and policy reforms should proceed without being held hostage by unresolved assumptions or politically motivated interpretations.
This advisory comes against the backdrop of increasing pressure from the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other interest groups, who have called for the suspension of the tax laws slated to take effect on January 1, 2026.
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However, despite the mounting opposition, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has maintained his stance that the tax reforms will be rolled out as scheduled, insisting that the new laws are critical to strengthening Nigeria’s fiscal sustainability and long-term economic stability, PulseNets reported.
