Prostitutes, social media influencers will now pay tax – Taiwo Oyedele
The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has said that anyone providing service, including prostitutes and social media influencers, would now pay tax in line with the new tax reform laws, signed in June.
Oyedele said the new tax laws made no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate forms of work.
The reforms consolidate four key legislations: the Nigerian Tax Act (NTA), the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA), the Nigerian Revenue Service (Establishment) Act (NRSEA), and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act (JRBEA).
The tax laws are to take effect on January 1, 2026, while the NRSEA and JRBEA will commence on 26 June 2026.
He made the clarification while responding to questions from both in-person and virtual participants during a session on “Tax Compliance and Planning” with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), streamed on the church’s YouTube page on September 26.
Mr Oyedele stated that anyone providing a service would be required to pay tax as Nigeria search for new revenue sources amidst falling earnings and rising fiscal pressures.
He cited prostitutes, commonly referred to as “runs girls,” as example, saying they would be included in the drive to broaden Nigeria’s revenue base.
Mr Oyedele noted: “If someone is rendering a service, such a person will pay tax. There’s this extreme example that you probably should not even say in a church, but just to bring it home, if somebody is doing runs with girls. They go and look for men to sleep with. You know, that’s a service. They will pay tax on it.
“One thing about the tax law is that it does not separate whether what you are doing is legitimate. It doesn’t even ask you. It just asks you whether you have an income. Did you get it from renting a service or providing a good, you pay tax? So if you give upkeep to anyone, they’re free. They won’t pay tax.”
He added that the new Tax Act would also cover social media influencers and remote workers earning income in foreign currency.
Mr Oyedele, however, said the tax law has eased the tax burden on 90 per cent of Nigerian workers.
