As the Federal Government prepares to roll out a new tax regime, the National Opposition Movement has strongly condemned the plan, describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as “worse than colonial authority” and calling for the immediate suspension of the policy’s take-off date.

The opposition warned that the proposed tax regime, scheduled to commence in January, would impose severe and inhumane burdens on Nigerians who are already grappling with economic hardship and lack the fiscal capacity to absorb further financial pressure.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the Movement’s spokesperson and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Hon. Chille Igbawua, said the timing and structure of the tax plan revealed what he described as the administration’s insensitivity to the plight of ordinary Nigerians.

“The situation in Nigeria today is terrible. Many Nigerians can barely afford food, transport, security, electricity bills or rent,” Igbawua said. “Yet, at a time like this, the Tinubu administration is preparing to roll out what may be the most punitive and exploitative tax regime in Nigeria’s history.”

He alleged that even colonial administrations did not contemplate imposing such harsh economic measures on citizens, warning that the new tax regime would take effect when Nigerians have little or no fiscal space for further sacrifices.

According to the opposition, the proposed tax law would compel all adults of taxable age, whether employed or unemployed, to file tax returns between January 1 and March 31, 2026, with penalties applying thereafter. Company owners, Igbawua said, would also be required to file returns for all employees, regardless of whether they earn below the taxable threshold, provided they have a Tax Identification Number (TIN).

Describing the policy as “mindless,” the opposition argued that the plan ignored Nigeria’s harsh realities, including widespread unemployment, limited access to internet services and weak public service delivery.

“In a country where over 70 million people are unemployed and small and medium-scale businesses are struggling to survive, this government is setting up an exploitative racket against innocent Nigerians,” Igbawua said, adding that the policy resembled what he called the “infamous Lagos governance strategy.”

The Movement further claimed that low-income earners, including those earning below the minimum wage, would be heavily affected by the tax regime, coming on the heels of subsidy removal and rising living costs.

“This is not tax reform; it is an assault on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians,” Igbawua said. “You cannot tax hunger. You cannot tax poverty. And you cannot tax people into prosperity.”

The opposition accused the government of demanding more sacrifices from citizens while public office holders continued to benefit from what it described as excessive privileges, warning that Nigerians were being pushed to the brink.

In its demands, the National Opposition Movement called for the immediate suspension of the tax plan’s implementation, nationwide consultations involving labour unions, civil society groups, professionals, small and medium enterprises and state governments, as well as explicit social protection measures tied to any tax reform.

It also urged the government to focus on taxing luxury, excess profits, monopolies and corruption, rather than placing additional burdens on poor and vulnerable citizens.

The group concluded that Nigeria’s problem was not low taxation but waste, corruption, mismanagement and policy arrogance, insisting that “government failure cannot be fixed by billing its victims.”