Fuel Surcharge: TUC Protest Misguided, Policy Not Starting In January — Oyedele

Chairman of the Presidential Committee connected Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has allayed nationalist fears astir the 5% substance surcharge included successful the caller taxation betterment laws, stressing that the levy has not been imposed and volition not automatically statesman successful January 2026, arsenic wide being speculated.

Oyedele, who spoke connected Tuesday morning, September 9, 2025, during an interrogation connected Channels Television’s meal amusement – Morning Brief – said overmuch of the existent uproar was being driven by misinformation and a deficiency of knowing of what the caller laws supply for.

“There’s thing that says this taxation volition commencement connected January 1, 2026. People request to get that right,” Oyedele clarified, noting that portion the instrumentality provides for a substance surcharge, it does not hole immoderate commencement date.

He described the Trade Union Congress’ (TUC) menace of a nationwide onslaught implicit the surcharge arsenic misplaced and premature.

“The TUC that is readying to spell connected onslaught to accidental it should beryllium removed, I don’t cognize what they privation authorities to region due to the fact that it hasn’t been imposed,” helium said.

Oyedele further explained that the surcharge was not a caller argumentation introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s medication but a taxation measurement that has existed successful Nigerian instrumentality since 2007.

According to him, the levy was introduced
nearly 2 decades agone but was ne'er enforced due to the fact that the authorities was inactive subsidising substance astatine the time.

“The TUC should person complained and protested erstwhile this was introduced since 2007. We lone enactment it into the caller taxation instrumentality arsenic portion of the authorities for transparency and orderly implementation,” Oyedele added.

He stressed that the reforms were not astir creating caller taxes but astir harmonising, cleaning up, and making consciousness of the country’s analyzable taxation framework. For instance, helium revealed that respective redundant and burdensome levies had already been scrapped nether the reforms.

“For example, determination was a taxation introduced connected telecommunications by the erstwhile medication that has already been removed from our law. As we speak, determination is 1 connected cybersecurity that has been harmonised,” helium explained.

Oyedele besides revealed that earlier the reforms were enacted, immoderate agencies had already made attempts to cod definite levies. However, the caller instrumentality has present acceptable retired wide guidelines, making it intolerable for immoderate bureau to arbitrarily enforce oregon cod taxes.

“Shortly aft the reforms were signed into law, determination was already an effort by the bureau to cod the tax. We told them to wait. You can’t cod it due to the fact that the caller instrumentality says you are not the 1 to collect, and commencement volition not hap until the curate says so,” Oyedele disclosed.

According to him, the caller authorities deliberately provides that the Minister of Finance indispensable contented an bid earlier specified taxes tin instrumentality effect, thereby ensuring owed process and preventing arbitrary commencement.
He besides challenged the cognition that President Tinubu was a “tax master”, who is introducing caller levies.

“People usually accidental that President Tinubu is simply a taxation master, that he’s introducing taxes. But I’ll situation anybody to archer maine 1 taxation that this president has introduced. Most of these taxes, adjacent the cybersecurity levy, were introduced successful the erstwhile administration,” helium argued.

Oyedele stressed that the administration’s attack was focused connected reducing the fig of taxes, eliminating overlaps, and lightening the load connected tiny businesses, manufacturers, and middle-to-low-income earners.