How Nigerians Are Earning More Via PAYE Reductions, Others – Atoyebi

A senior tax analyst and policy expert, Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, has disclosed that Nigerians are earning more through reductions in Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) deductions, leading to higher net pay and improved business transformation in the country.

She said Nigeria’s new tax laws are no longer proposals, rumours or theoretical policy experiments, but are in force and here to stay.

Atoyebi explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves credit for taking a bold and necessary step to reform a tax system that, for years, placed a disproportionate burden on salary earners while allowing loopholes that encouraged inefficiency and abuse.

“At a time when hard choices had to be made to stabilise the economy and protect the most vulnerable, the administration opted for reform over populism. That decision, now backed by real-life outcomes, is proving to be both timely and pro-people,” she added.

She said that from the moment the tax bills were introduced, they became targets of deliberate misinformation, as opposition figures and social media commentators—many with little understanding of tax policy—weaponised fear for political gain.

According to her, Nigerians were told their salaries would crash, with workers warned that they would take home less pay and shoulder higher taxes.

PAYE was framed as a new punishment rather than a restructured relief. These falsehoods, she said, were repeated loudly and frequently, not because they were true, but because panic travels faster than facts in the digital age.

However, she noted that facts are now catching up with fear. As January pay slips were issued, Nigerians began sharing their lived experiences—not government talking points, but personal testimonies. Salary earners openly confirmed that while gross figures were adjusted, net pay actually increased, with PAYE deductions reduced and overall taxes dropping.

From verified social media accounts to private messages thanking professionals who explained the law early on, Atoyebi said the evidence is mounting that many workers are paying less tax, not more.

She attributed this to the fact that a large number of Nigerians were never going to be negatively affected by the reforms in the first place. According to her, the new tax laws are deliberately pro-poor, designed to protect low- and middle-income earners, with a strong focus on fairness.

“The noise is fading. The numbers are speaking, and they are telling a very different story from the one Nigerians were sold,” she said.

Beyond the immediate relief Nigerians are experiencing, Atoyebi stressed that the reforms are fundamentally about long-term nation-building—creating a fair, transparent, and sustainable tax system that strengthens public finance, supports development, and lays the groundwork for a more stable and prosperous Nigeria.