James Emejo in Abuja
Executive Secretary, Joint Revenue Board (JRB), Mr. Olusegun Adesokan, has dismissed erroneous claims that tax identification will subject taxpayers’ bank accounts to automatic and arbitrary deductions by financial institutions.
Adesokan who commended taxpayers who have already obtained their tax IDs, he said the speculations were unfounded, adding that concerns about automatic taxation of people’s money through tax identification were particularly false.
He gave the clarification as a cross-section of taxpayers retrieved their new tax IDs through the new Tax ID portal which was launched on January 1, 2026, as Nigeria’s centralised taxpayer database.
The portal is jointly managed by JRB and the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
He stressed that tax reforms were well-conceived and designed to support the poor as well as support economic growth, adding that reforms have provided a lot of incentives for low-income earners and all categories of taxpayers and businesses.
Adesokan said, “I commend patriotic taxpayers who stood in solidarity with the government on this tax reforms. I thank every taxpayer who was not swayed by the negative propaganda against the reform and the Tax ID.
“Now, it is obvious that the speculation that monies will be deducted arbitrarily from people’s bank account from January 1, 2026, was unfounded. It is also obvious that the rumour about automatic taxation of people’s money once they get a Tax ID is also false.”
The JRB ES further urged taxpayers who are yet to retrieve their tax IDs to do so through the official portal, noting that platform was designed as a self-service system to ensure seamless use, possessing strong data protection safeguards in compliance with regulations of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission.
He further noted that implementation of the reforms had begun at both national and subnational levels, stating that JRB, alongside partner agencies, remained optimistic about smooth execution, while calling for continued public cooperation.
However, a cross-section of taxpayers who retrieved their new tax IDs through the portal commended the platform, describing it as user-friendly and efficient for quick access.
The platform enables individuals to obtain a unique 13-digit number using their National Identity Number, while businesses can retrieve theirs using registration numbers issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and other designated government agencies.
The portal seeks to harmonise the hitherto fragmented taxpayer data across national and subnational systems into a single database aimed at improving coordination, strengthening revenue administration, and enhancing data security.
The project forms part of ongoing fiscal and tax reforms implemented by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Feedback from taxpayers was obtained through a structured questionnaire shared across digital platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as well as through telephone interviews.
The survey targeted users who had attempted retrieval of their tax IDs and requested details of their experience.
According to the JRB Help Desk team that conducted the poll, respondents answered four questions, three closed-ended and one open-ended, following which responses were compiled and analysed.
“At the end of the poll, we collated all the responses and analysed them. More than 98 percent of the respondents said they had a seamless experience retrieving their Tax ID”, according to the Head of the team.
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