The Federal Government has issued comprehensive General Guidelines to steer the implementation of the Tax Acts 2025, setting out how Nigeria will move from its repealed tax laws to a new, unified framework that takes effect on January 1, 2026.

Under the guidelines, tax returns for accounting periods ending before January 1, 2026 will continue to be filed and processed under the existing, now repealed, tax laws. Returns due from January 1, 2026 onward will be governed by the new regime, creating a clear cut-off intended to prevent confusion and disputes.

The document, released in Abuja, is designed as a reference point for taxpayers, tax practitioners, revenue authorities and other stakeholders on how to manage transitional issues. It explains how ongoing obligations and legacy matters will be treated as the country shifts to the new legal architecture.

The Tax Acts 2025 comprise four key laws: the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act. Each will apply from its commencement date, with the Nigeria Tax Act scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2026.

According to the guidelines, tax liabilities, assessments, audits, investigations, disputes and enforcement actions relating to periods before that date will remain subject to the repealed laws. This ring-fencing of past periods is aimed at ensuring legal certainty and avoiding retrospective application of the new rules.

The guidelines also spell out how income taxes, transaction taxes, development levies, tax incentives, exemptions, record-keeping duties and transactions that straddle both regimes will be handled. Existing incentives and exemptions granted under the old laws will stay in force until their stated expiry dates, while new applications and pending requests will be evaluated under the Tax Acts 2025.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the framework is intended to manage the transition in a structured manner and to reassure taxpayers that the new laws will not be applied retroactively. He described the enactment of the Tax Acts 2025 as a major milestone in Nigeria’s tax reform agenda.

Oyedele noted that the guidelines rest on three core principles: clarity, fairness and administrative certainty. They are expected to promote uniform implementation across the Nigeria Revenue Service, State and FCT Internal Revenue Services, Local Government Revenue Committees and the wider tax community, while supporting a more transparent and investment-friendly tax system.