How Remote Workers, Influencers Will Pay Tax Under New Law — Oyedele.

Oyedele.

The federal government has clarified that income earned by Nigerians through remote employment, social media influencing, or business imports will be subject to taxation under the newly introduced tax reforms set to commence on January 1, 2026.

Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, made this known during a tax education programme organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, Lagos.

In a widely circulated video on social media on Monday, Oyedele explained that Nigerians who work remotely for foreign organisations are legally required to declare their income and remit taxes in Nigeria.

“If you are a remote worker, you are a worker, right? You just happen to do your work remotely. You work for a company, which might be an American company, somewhere in Europe, anywhere, and you earn a salary.

“That amount of money they pay to you is your salary. You will self-declare it. Because if your employer were to be in Nigeria, they will deduct and pay on your behalf. Because your employer is not in Nigeria, they don’t care about the Nigerian tax system,” he stated.

He warned that remote workers who failed to declare their income would be identified and sanctioned accordingly, stressing that “the obligation falls on you to self-declare.

“If you now refuse to declare, the government will see the movement of the money and say you failed to declare, and they will deem it as your income, charge you tax on it, add a penalty, and add interest for delayed payments.”

The committee chairman said the same rule applies to social media influencers who generate earnings from online activities.

“So the same thing applies to influencers. You are influencing online; that’s okay. You earn income; you pay tax as well.”

Oyedele also responded to questions raised by importers, saying any potential tax relief would depend on the nature of their operations, whether in trade, manufacturing, or other sectors.

“The next question is about importers. Do they have any reliefs? We do look at importers as a separate line of business. So, if you are importing, there’s something you’re doing.

“It’s either you are into trade, manufacturing, or whatever it is. Depending on the business you are importing to do, you will see some reliefs for that sector,” he added.

On worries concerning overlapping taxes from the federal, state, and local levels of government, Oyedele clarified that the new tax law has defined “jurisdiction” for each level of government.

“Someone is concerned about paying federal and state taxes. How will they be able to differentiate?

“The new law states clearly what taxes are payable, and who they are payable to. So, there’s a part of the law we call jurisdiction. It says the National Revenue Service shall collect these taxes; states shall collect these taxes; local governments shall collect these taxes.

“You don’t need to even worry about all of them. You just need to say, Who are you? If you are an individual, just worry about personal income tax.

“If you are doing a small business, we will remove your taxes. The only one we are trying to deal with now is that of local government. If you are a big business, maybe you should have an accountant who will advise you.

“So at the end of the day, whatever number of taxes you are paying now is reduced significantly to a few. And in the tax law, you will see there what taxes you need to pay, who you need to pay to, and when you need to pay those taxes.”

He further stated that financial support or gifts would not be taxed, but any payment made for a service or product would be subject to tax obligations.

Oyedele described the new tax structure as the “most transformative in the nation’s history,” aimed at streamlining compliance procedures, minimising disputes over multiple taxation, and enhancing government revenue generation.