JTB: Nigerians without Tax ID can operate bank accounts

By Emma Ujah,   Abuja Bureau Chief  

The Joint Tax Board (JTB) has said that Nigerians without Tax Identification (Tax ID) tin proceed to run slope accounts beyond January 1, 2026.

The 4 caller Tax Acts precocious signed by President Bola Tinubu volition travel into effect from January 1, 2026.

The JTB successful a statement,  yesterday, successful Abuja, was reacting to reports that the Tax Administration Act makes Tax ID mandatory for persons who privation to transact banking and different fiscal services successful the country.

Section 8 (2) of the authorities makes Tax ID mandatory for immoderate idiosyncratic to run a slope relationship oregon get progressive successful insurance, stocks oregon allied services successful the country, erstwhile the Act comes into unit from January 1, 2026.

JTB’s connection by Akpe Adoh, Head of Corporate Communications, reads successful full, “The attraction of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) has been drawn to caller reports and insinuations suggesting that Nigerians without a Tax Identification (Tax ID) volition beryllium denied entree to their slope accounts oregon prevented from carrying retired fiscal transactions from January 1, 2026.

“Nigerians are hereby assured that they volition proceed to person entree to their slope relationship and besides proceed to transportation retired fiscal transactions adjacent beyond January 1, 2026.

“In enactment with the taxation reforms championed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Government is moving to marque taxation compliance simpler, fairer, and much inclusive for each Nigerians. These reforms see eliminating aggregate taxation, granting taxation exemptions to susceptible individuals and tiny businesses, and ensuring that the bulk of Nigerians volition wage little taxes nether the caller taxation regime.

“To enactment this vision, the JTB (comprising the 36 States Internal Revenue Service, the FCT-IRS and the FIRS) and the FIRS are collaborating connected a harmonised National Tax Identification system.  

“This strategy volition leverage the National Identification Number (NIN) for individuals and the Registration Number (RC) for businesses arsenic unsocial identifiers for taxation purposes.

“This inaugural volition alteration the seamless and automatic procreation of Tax IDS for individuals with NIN and businesses with RC thereby making it easier for Nigerians to comply with taxation requirements without immoderate disruption to their banking and/or fiscal activities.

“We truthful impulse the nationalist to stay calm and disregard immoderate claims to the contrary.  

“Again we restate for the avoidance of uncertainty that Nigerians volition proceed to person entree to their slope accounts and transportation retired fiscal services beyond January 1, 2026, and nary 1 volition beryllium denied entree connected relationship of not having a Tax ID.

“The JTB remains committed to implementing people-centred taxation policies that beforehand economical growth, fairness, and easiness of doing concern portion ensuring that Nigeria remains a taxation affable environment.”

JTB’s presumption is astatine variance with the provisions of the instrumentality arsenic the nationalist awaits its implementation.

The proviso which imposes 5 percent Petroleum Products Tax had attracted wide criticisms which prompted a clarification by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, past week, that determination was nary contiguous program to instrumentality it. 

The station JTB: Nigerians without Tax ID tin run slope accounts appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.