The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has dismissed rumours surrounding the implementation of the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA), clarifying that individuals and companies do not need a physical tax identification card.
In a sensitisation video released on Monday, Aderonke Atoyebi, technical assistant on broadcast media to the executive chairman of FIRS, said the National Identification Number (NIN) already serves as the tax ID for individuals, while the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration number applies to registered companies.
Atoyebi said the clarification became necessary following widespread misinformation about the new tax reform laws ahead of their implementation in January. She noted that the use of tax IDs was not new, adding that the requirement had existed since the Finance Act of 2019 but had now been strengthened under the NTAA.
“The tax ID unifies all things previously issued by FIRS and state IRS into a single identifier. For individuals, your NIN automatically serves as your tax ID, while for companies, that is for registered companies, your CAC RC number is used,” Atoyebi said.
“You do not need a physical card. Please, enough of the rumors. You do not at all need a physical card. The tax ID is a unique number linked directly to your identity.
“The new tax ID system simplifies identification, reduces duplication, closes loopholes for tax evasion, and ensures fairness, so that everyone who earns taxable income contributes their share, while protecting non-taxable, low-income citizens.”
Her comments follow recent directives by commercial banks asking customers to link their bank accounts to their NINs or tax identification numbers ahead of the new tax laws. Banks said all accounts must be linked to a tax ID before 2026 to comply with legal requirements, advising customers without a tax ID to use their NIN.
In June, President Bola Tinubu signed four tax reform bills into law, including the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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