Taiwo Oyedele, who heads the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has reminded Nigerians that submitting annual tax returns is mandatory and applies to both organisations and individuals.Speaking during an online training session held with the Joint Revenue Board for HR professionals, payroll officers, chief finance officers and tax managers, Oyedele said tax return filing remains widely ignored, especially among individual taxpayers.
He noted that companies are required to submit yearly tax records for their employees, including income details and expected salary payments. According to him, some employers have already met this obligation, but others are close to missing the deadline and need to act quickly.Oyedele stressed that workers should not assume their responsibility ends once taxes are deducted from their monthly pay.
He explained that employees are still personally required by law to submit their own annual tax returns, regardless of employer deductions.He expressed concern over the low level of compliance across many states, saying only a small fraction of taxpayers currently file their returns. This, he said, shows a major gap in awareness and participation in the tax system.To address this, he said revenue authorities are improving their processes and digital systems to make filing simpler and less stressful for taxpayers. He also reminded the public that the deadline for submitting returns for the previous tax year is March 31.
Oyedele further explained that under the updated tax framework, businesses that benefit from tax reliefs or special incentives must now clearly report those benefits when submitting their returns.
This disclosure rule is meant to improve transparency, since such incentives are granted selectively, not automatically to every taxpayer.He encouraged taxpayers and businesses alike to stay informed, comply with the rules, and file their returns on time.
