Nigerians Must File Tax Returns by March 31 – Oyedele

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has called on Nigerians to comply with the law by filing their annual tax returns, stressing that the obligation applies to both employers and individual taxpayers.

Oyedele made the call during a webinar organised in collaboration with the Joint Revenue Board for HR managers, payroll officers, chief financial officers, and tax managers. The session, which focused on compliance under Nigeria’s evolving tax framework, was later posted on YouTube on Friday.

He noted that while some organisations have fulfilled their obligations, a significant number remain behind on filing employee-related returns.

“In terms of filing returns, you need to file annual returns as employers for your employees. Many of you must have done that already. If you haven’t, you have just a couple of days left to file those returns, including projections of how much you will pay your staff,” he said.

Oyedele also emphasised that individual taxpayers are legally required to submit self-assessment returns, describing compliance in that category as alarmingly low across the country.

“This is one area where we have been non-compliant in Nigeria. In many states, more than 90%—even the most sophisticated states—cannot boast of 5% filing returns,” he said.

READ ALSO: Federal Government Will Not Protect Tax Evaders – Oyedele

Clarifying common misconceptions, Oyedele explained that employees remain responsible for filing returns even when their taxes are deducted at source by their employers.

“Many people assume that if they are an employee and the employer has deducted pay, they don’t have to do anything. That is wrong. Both under the old and new tax laws, you must still file your returns.”

He assured taxpayers that efforts are underway to simplify the filing process and improve accessibility across states.

“I’m sure the tax authorities, joint revenue boards, and various state internal revenue services are working on how to make this process simpler and easier. All of us must file our returns, including those earning low income. You must file returns by 31st March of the year in respect of the previous fiscal year.”

Oyedele further disclosed that recent tax reforms now require businesses benefiting from incentives to formally declare them during the filing process.

“Under the new tax law, if you operate a business as an enterprise and you enjoy certain incentives, you have the obligation to disclose those incentives. There’s a disclosure requirement for tax incentives that is not available to everybody as a general rule for taxpayers—to disclose them when filing their tax returns or shortly after.”

He urged Nigerians to take compliance seriously, noting that improved filing rates are essential to strengthening fiscal accountability and supporting sustainable economic reforms.