Over 90% Nigerians extremely poor, may not qualify to PAYE tax from 2026
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Maureen Aguta
Indication of Tuesday is that at least nine out of every 10 Nigerians do not earn up to one million Naira in year, so will no longer have to pay the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) starting from January 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman, Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee who dropped this hint on Tuesday in Abuja, added that Nigerians will start enjoying benefits of new tax laws, beginning from January 2026.
Speaking at the ongoing Nigerian Economic Summit (NES31) in Abuja on Tuesday, Oyedele said that about 98 per cent of the Nigeria’s population will no longer pay the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax.
He emphasised that the new tax laws are targeted at protecting the low income earners or those at the poverty line.
“We cannot tax poverty, about 97 to 98 per cent of Nigerians will no longer pay the PAYE, but the 2 per cent will pay more as high income earners,” he said.
