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The Joint Revenue Board (JRB) has called for stronger use of data and analytics in tax administration as Nigeria enters the second year of its ongoing tax reform programme.
The Board made the call in a communiqué issued on Monday after its 160th meeting held from September 1 to 3, 2026 Kaduna State.
The meeting, themed “One Year of Tax Reform: Assessing Progress and Addressing Challenges,” reviewed progress recorded since the implementation of the new tax laws commenced on January 1, 2026, while identifying emerging challenges and measures required to consolidate the gains of the reform.
What they are saying
The JRB acknowledged progress made during the first year of the tax reform, particularly the transition towards a more harmonised, technology-driven, and data-enabled tax administration framework.
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However, it noted that significant implementation challenges remain and require sustained attention.
The Board emphasized the strategic importance of data and analytics in modern tax administration and urged revenue authorities to continue investing in robust data infrastructure, advanced analytical capabilities and the institutional capacity needed to convert data into actionable intelligence.
According to the Board, stronger data capabilities would support more effective decision-making and improve tax compliance outcomes.
- “The Board calls for enhanced inter-agency collaboration and responsible data sharing, recognising that the effective integration of reliable and credible data sources is critical to broadening the tax base, improving compliance levels, and strengthening evidence-based tax administration.
- “The Board further emphasises that such collaboration must be underpinned by appropriate safeguards to ensure data privacy, security, and lawful access,” the communiqué read in part.
Board seeks harmonisation of taxes and levies
The JRB said the second year of reform implementation should focus on translating legislative reforms into effective administrative transformation and delivering measurable outcomes.
It identified improved taxpayer experience, increased voluntary compliance, stronger revenue mobilisation and greater public trust and confidence in the tax system as key areas requiring attention.
The Board also commended states that have enacted the Harmonised Taxes and Levies Law and urged those yet to do so to expedite action towards its enactment.
It said greater adoption of the law would promote uniformity and harmonisation in tax administration and help eliminate the duplication of taxes and levies across subnational jurisdictions.
Get up to speed
While the reform promised a reduction in taxes as the government harmonises taxes across levels of government, Nairametrics recently reported that businesses have not felt the impact as they continue to grapple with multiple taxes, levies and other government collections.
Businesses say overlapping demands from federal, state and local government agencies, as well as contracted revenue collectors, continue to increase their operating costs.
These concerns are also reflected in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s July 2026 Business Expectations Survey, where 70.8% of respondents identified high and multiple taxation as the biggest constraint to business operations, ahead of insecurity and high interest rates.
What you should know
Nigeria’s tax reform programme, launched in 2025, represented one of the country’s most ambitious fiscal overhauls in decades.
The reforms introduced the Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, with the objectives of eliminating duplicate taxes, harmonising tax administration, improving compliance, expanding the tax base and reducing the burden on small businesses.
As part of the reform, the Joint Revenue Board also prohibited the collection of road taxes and levies through checkpoints and banned the use of road stickers by state and non-state actors.
