Financial and legal experts at the 2025 Annual Lecture of the Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) have pushed back against growing public anxiety over Nigeria’s new tax regime.
They insisted that the legislation was crafted to serve citizens and businesses rather than inflate government coffers.
During a panel discussion at the event on Friday in Asaba, Tax Consultant, Victor Origho, said the reform was designed to correct longstanding distortions in the country’s tax architecture.
He explained that the new law aimed to create equity by ensuring that taxpayers were neither unfairly burdened nor allowed to evade their rightful obligations.
Origho dismissed fears of arbitrary deductions and excessive sanctions, insisting that the reform would help to promotes accuracy, fairness and transparency.
“This law is not a punitive instrument.
“It simply ensures that every Nigerian contributes what is appropriate, nothing more, nothing less, ” he said.
Also, legal expert Mr Ikpesu Jade described the legislation as a modernised dispute-resolution framework that functions much like an ombudsman for tax matters.
He noted that while the law provides for penalties, organisations that keep proper accounts and comply promptly have little to fear.
“Compliance puts you on safe ground. If you fulfil your obligations, the law shields you,” he said.
Another discussant, Mr Martins Aghaobod, Esq., stressed the need for widespread public enlightenment before the law takes full effect in January 2026.
He encouraged Nigerians to acquaint themselves with the extensive 203-section document.
Aghaobod noted that many provisions were focused on eliminating multiple layers of taxation and encouraging voluntary compliance.
Collectively, the panelists argued that the reform would help to empower Nigerians by making tax collection and expenditure more transparent, thereby helping citizens hold government accountable for how public funds are used.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Ochuko Emudainohwo, Associate Professor of Accounting at Dennis Osadebay University, described the initiative as a long-overdue strategy for revitalising Nigeria’s economic structure.
He linked the reform to dwindling oil earnings, a rapidly expanding population and economic shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that these pressures made a rethink of the fiscal framework unavoidable.
According to him, merging income-based and corporate taxes into a single unified system will simplify administration and reduce bottlenecks.
Emudainohwo highlighted provisions that exempt enterprises with annual turnover below N50 million from company income and capital-based taxes.
He said the move would ease the burden on small businesses, encourage innovation and stimulate growth.
Emudainohwo also identified enhanced digital platforms and tighter controls as measures that would help plug leakages and rebuild public trust.
In his remarks, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by Commissioner for Information Charles Aniagwu, said tax initiatives must translate to visible development.
Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Edward Martyns, urged the media to intensify scrutiny of how government utilised revenue
On his part, DOPF Chairman Mr. Emmanuel Enebeli called for improved infrastructure and security to justify citizens’ contributions.
The 2025 DOPF Lecture, themed: “Nigeria’s New Tax Law: Implications and Opportunities for Businesses and Society,” drew a broad audience and delivered an extensive examination of how the legislation is expected to influence economic activity among others.
