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By 247ureports.com
Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, has claimed that a law requiring every Nigerian to pay 25 per cent of their earnings as tax has already been passed and will be implemented after the 2027 election if the All Progressives Congress (APC) wins. The claim does not match the law she appears to be describing.
In a video circulating online, Kingibe, who was elected on the Labour Party platform in 2023 and is now linked to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says: “Nigerians are not aware that a tax law has been passed, which requires everyone to pay 25% of their earnings as tax. The National Assembly has already passed this law, and it will swing into action after the election.” In a version of the remarks shared by supporters, she is quoted saying the government passed the policy but “fear won’t let them implement it until after the elections.”
The Nigeria Tax Act 2025 took effect on January 1, 2026, so it is already in force and does not wait for the election. It does not set a flat 25 per cent rate. Personal income tax is progressive: nothing is charged on the first N800,000 of annual taxable income, then 15 per cent applies to income between N800,000 and N3 million, 18 per cent between N3 million and N12 million, 21 per cent between N12 million and N25 million, 23 per cent between N25 million and N50 million, and 25 per cent only on income above N50 million. Those are marginal rates, meaning each rate applies to the slice of income in its band, and the effective rate for nearly all earners is well below 25 per cent. Low earners are exempt altogether.
The top rate does exist, so Kingibe is right that a 25 per cent band is in the law, but she is wrong that it applies to everyone and wrong that it is waiting for the election. Her warning also feeds a wider debate about the cost of living and the tax burden, including the other levies and charges that critics of the administration cite, which is a separate argument from the one about income tax rates. The Federal Government says the reforms are meant to simplify tax administration and relieve low earners. Kingibe had not clarified the remarks at the time of this report, and 247ureports.com had not located a response from the APC or the Presidency.
