Senator Adams Oshiomhole has praised President Bola Tinubu’s new tax policy, describing it as consistent with the principles of a progressive government.
He said he was among the lawmakers who supported the tax bill that eventually became law.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the Edo North lawmaker said the Tinubu tax policy is progressive because it shifts the tax burden from the poor to the rich.
“The facts on the ground show that President Tinubu’s tax policy is consistent with the values of a progressive government,” Oshiomhole said.
“And this is a progressive tax policy that places a higher burden on those who earn more while offering tax exemptions to those who earn less.”
The former Edo State governor emphasized that he fully supports the new tax policy, noting that no government can function without taxes.
“It is only in Nigeria that people talk about government using money or claim that government earns money on its own. Governments do not earn money; citizens earn income, and the government taxes those earnings—whether individual or corporate. The sum of these taxes determines the annual revenue of the state,” he explained.
Oshiomhole added that working families will benefit under the new tax regime.
“There is no worker who is a member of the Nigeria Labour Congress earning N1 million a month, which totals N12 million a year. So, for salary earners, this tax policy is progressive.”
‘VAT’s for luxury buyers’
On Value Added Tax (VAT), the senator noted that the average Nigerian worker need not worry, as VAT primarily affects luxury purchases.
He also criticized Nigerians who pay VAT abroad but complain when paying the same tax in Nigeria.
“Everywhere in the world, when you buy non-food items, you pay VAT. Nigerians pay VAT in America, London, Dubai, yet they resist paying VAT here in Nigeria,” Oshiomhole said.
Despite criticisms, President Bola Tinubu had, in December 2025, reaffirmed that the new tax laws would take effect from January 1, 2026.
Tinubu explained that the tax laws were not intended to raise taxes arbitrarily, but to support a structural reset, promote harmonisation, protect citizens’ dignity, and strengthen the social contract.
He also urged all Nigerians to support the implementation of the new policy.