Six months into Nigeria’s tax reforms, the Organised Private Sector is demanding greater clarity and predictability in tax administration as businesses adjust to the new regime. Speaking at the 2026 LCCI-OPS Stakeholders’ Forum on Emerging Tax Matters, Leye Kupoluyi, president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the conversation has shifted from legislation to implementation and from expectation to evidence. According to him, businesses make investment decisions based on expected future costs.
He noted that when tax rules change frequently, regulations are delayed, or different authorities interpret provisions differently, it ceases to be just a tax administration problem and becomes an investment problem. Kupoluyi, who was represented by Olajumoke Fashanu, welcomed the transition guidelines recently issued by the federal government, noting that they clarify how pre-2026 transactions and new accounting periods will be treated.
However, he said going forward, Nigeria needs a tax administration culture where clarification comes before disputes, consultation precedes major changes, and digitalization delivers simplicity instead of additional bureaucracy. He added that while government has a legitimate objective to increase revenue, the more sustainable approach is to broaden the tax base and improve compliance rather than increase the burden on existing taxpayers.
For the reform to succeed, Kupoluyi said it must be measured by whether compliance has become easier, costs have fallen, the tax base has expanded, and investment confidence has improved. Presenting findings from a joint survey conducted by PwC and LCCI, Emeka Chime, partner, PwC, said businesses generally support the objectives of the reforms but remain cautious about implementation challenges and uncertainty about how some provisions apply in practice.
Chime said the survey had 207 respondents — 154 individuals and 63 companies — focused on awareness, government communication, performance of new measures, and priority areas for improvement.