The Joint Revenue Board (JRB), formerly known as the Joint Tax Board (JTB), has placed a nationwide ban on the collection of road taxes, levies, and related charges through checkpoints, including the use of road stickers by state and non-state actors as part of efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s tax administration and improve the ease of doing business.
The decision was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 158th meeting of the Board held on December 9 and 10, 2025, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
At the meeting, the JRB vowed to stop non-state actors from the revenue administration value chain and called on the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies to take immediate action against illegal roadblocks mounted along major transport corridors for the purpose of collecting taxes, levies, rates, and charges.
The abolition of road taxes came against the backdrop of the new tax reform being pushed by the Bola Tinubu administration through four new tax laws to be implemented from January next year.
What the Board is saying
According to the Board, such practices undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s tax system, impose arbitrary costs on businesses and transporters, and weaken confidence in sub-national revenue administration.
“The Board re-emphasizes the outright abolition of the design, production, issuance and enforcement of all manner of road stickers and related instruments by both state and non-state actors,” the communique read in part.
It urged Nigerians to resist the payment of such levies and to report individuals or groups involved in their issuance to relevant security agencies for appropriate sanctions.
Push for harmonised taxes
Beyond the ban on road taxes, the JRB called on state governments to fast-track the passage of the Harmonised Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Bill into law, to ensure uniformity in the application of taxes, rates, and levies at the sub-national level.
- The Board noted that harmonisation would reduce multiple taxation, enhance compliance, and align state-level revenue practices with the objectives of ongoing national tax reforms.
- The meeting, held under the theme “Managing Transition: Driving Transformation, Building the Future of Tax Administration in Nigeria,” also reviewed the implications of the transition from the Joint Tax Board to the Joint Revenue Board.
- The JRB described the transition as a critical step toward a more coordinated and efficient national revenue administration framework, with improved collaboration, data sharing, and the use of analytics to strengthen tax compliance across the federation.
What you should know
Aside from the existing issue of multiple taxation across government levels, the high cost of goods in the country has been attributed to multiple taxation on Nigeria’s highways.
- As part of its efforts to address the multiple taxation problem, the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy & Tax Reforms recently disclosed that it is seeking a constitutional amendment to eliminate 90% of the taxes currently being collected from businesses by local government authorities across Nigeria.
- Chairman of the Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, who stated this at a forum in Lagos, said the proposal is being pushed through a constitutional amendment bill currently before the National Assembly.
