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Remote workers, influencers will pay tax under new law — Oyedele

Mr. Taiwo Oyedele as the new Minister of State for Finance

Remote workers, influencers will pay tax under new law — Oyedele

LAGOS—The Federal Government has said income earned by Nigerians, either through remote work, social media influencing or business imports, would be taxable under the new tax reforms which take effect on January 1, 2026.

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this at a tax education session hosted by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, Lagos.

In a viral video which circulated on social media yesterday, Oyedele said Nigerians working remotely for foreign companies were legally required to declare their income and pay tax in Nigeria.

“If you are a remote worker, you are a worker, right? You just happen to do your work remotely. You work for a company, that company might be an American company, somewhere in Europe, anywhere, and you earn a salary.

“That amount of money they pay to you is your salary. You will self-declare it. Because if your employer were to be in Nigeria, they will deduct and pay on your behalf. Because your employer is not in Nigeria, they don’t care about the Nigerian tax system,’’ he said.

Oyedele said remote workers who failed to declare their income would be traced and penalised, saying “the obligation falls on you to self-declare.

‘’If you now refuse to declare, the government will see the movement of the money, and say you failed to declare, and they will deem it as your income, charge you tax on it, add penalty, add interest for delayed payments.’’

The presidential committee chair said same applied to social media influencers who generate income online.