There is a friend of mine I had a discussion with about the new tax reform laws the government planned to implement in 2026 and which is already in motion. Let’s call my friend Kunle.

Kunle was planning for both Detty December and the realities of the new year, because why not? Everyone deserves to do their Detty December with the confidence of a Lagos bus driver on the road.

Now Christmas has passed, and amidst the celebrations, talk of the tax laws has been on the lips and social media pages of everyone looking for a way to evade tax legally.

Because how can somebody tear chicken and do Detty December, only for the new year to start tearing them up and being detty to their finances?

Whether you agree or not, January is in the chat, work has started, and the whole Oblee season is now firmly in the past.

Somewhere between hangover recovery, new year resolutions flying everywhere, and everyone slowly adapting back to work, Kunle told me that he opened his WhatsApp to view statuses a few days back and fear gripped him instantly.

“It’s a new year and the new tax law has started o.”

“They will be deducting money from your account automatically.”

“Make sure you use narrations in transfers oo”

Kunle began to fidget.

His bank balance and transfer history flashed before his eyes.

“Na who dem dey tax? Me wey no get steady income?”

The interesting part is that the WhatsApp Association of Nigeria recently graduated a fresh batch of financial experts who suddenly know how to evade tax.

They are now sharing methods on how to evade tax.

The trending one currently is bank transaction narrations.

According to Kunle, one uncle said if you use “family support,” “loan,” “gifts,” or “food,” your money won’t be taxed no matter the amount.

Haba. When did the government talk that one?

Another said keep money in savings, government no fit see am. One said open five accounts to reduce the threshold amounts on the account.

Everyone was just giving opinions without actually verifying anything, and Kunle was just a pawn in the middle of these antics.

I didn’t even know when everybody suddenly became a tax consultant. I too would have attended the class oo.

But let’s pause.

Breathe.

Sit down.

Because if you really want to “evade” tax, the first thing you need to do is understand what the law actually says and what it does not say.

The Great Nigerian Tax Panic

Allow me to say it plainly: the tax panic is great, and it is driven largely by noise.

Let's face the fact, Nigeria's new tax reform framework did not arrive like a thief in the night, we have been hearing of it prior to now.

It was debated, reviewed, consulted on, and designed to modernize how taxes are administered. It was also released to the public long before now. It was never a policy designed to witch-hunt people buying suya by the roadside at 10 p.m.

Contrary to popular online opinion:

• The government is not taxing money sitting in your account.

• They are not reading your transaction narration like a gossip blog.

• They are not deducting tax because you received money from your auntie.

Taxation — both under the old laws and the new reforms — is primarily based on income and profit, not narrations, transfers, or savings balances.

This has been clarified publicly by the official involved in fiscal policy reform: what is taxed is income earned and profit gained, not money moved.

There is also a minimum income threshold below which individuals are not liable to personal income tax. This means not everybody earning money is immediately taxable. Students, low-income earners, and people below that threshold are not suddenly criminals.

So no — writing “for fuel or food” in your narration does not magically erase tax liability. And no, the government is not sitting inside your banking app counting how many times you received “urgent 2k.”

If that were the case, half of Nigeria would already be on tax death row — including people who buy data regularly.

Legal Evasion: The Part People Refuse to Read

Now, here is the part nobody likes to talk about because it doesn’t sound rebellious enough.

No need to paint words or dance around it — it is explicitly stated in the new tax reform laws:

Avoiding tax illegally is punishable.

However, reducing your tax burden legally is not only allowed — it is encouraged.

The tax laws provide reliefs and allowances that reduce how much a person or business ultimately pays. This is not cheating. This is compliance with sense.

For individuals, allowable reliefs include:

• Pension contributions, to aid retirement planning

• Housing-related allowances, up to ₦500,000

• Other statutory reliefs provided under personal income tax regulations

These deductions reduce taxable income, not total income. Meaning you are taxed on what remains after legally recognized expenses and contributions have been fully accounted for and audited.

For businesses, the law is even clearer:

• Register your business properly with CAC

• Maintain proper records and accounts at all times

• File returns honestly — preferably without waiting for the government to come knocking

Claim allowable business expenses; it is your right, and ignorance of the law is no excuse

Apply for applicable tax reliefs and incentives

Businesses are taxed on profit, not revenue. If you do not keep records, the taxman will estimate and estimated assessment is where wahala usually begins.

Ironically, many people shouting “government wants to drain us” are the same people refusing to do the one thing that actually protects them: proper documentation.

There is nothing edgy about ignorance. The smartest “evasion” is knowing how the law works and using it properly.

Read the Law, Not Just the Timeline

Social media is excellent for trends not for tax advice.

The Nigerian government is not going to wake up one morning and automatically empty your account because of the amount of money inside it.

You have privacy rights over your accounts, and there are due processes to follow before anyone can even access such information.

Enforcement relies on assessment, reporting, audits, and compliance and not panic.

The law assumes honesty, but it will also verify the claims.

If you earn taxable income and refuse to declare it, that is where problems begin, not because you sent money to yourself or used the wrong statement in your narration.

This is why relying on half-baked online theories is dangerous. Tax compliance is boring and will take some of your money, yes — but it is far cheaper than penalties, interest, or audits done with bad energy.

The irony is that most Nigerians panicking about tax would either pay very little or nothing at all if they actually understood the thresholds and reliefs available to them.

So before you start planning escape routes, ask yourself:

• Do I even earn taxable income under the law?

• Am I entitled to reliefs? (Which you most likely are.)

• Is my business structured properly?

Knowledge is not just power. In Nigeria, it is peace of mind.

Conclusion

If you came here looking for a magic way to disappear from the tax system, I’m sorry.

That WhatsApp group or status you usually view is two apps away.

But if you came to understand how not to suffer unnecessarily, then congratulations — you are already ahead of the noise.

The real danger is not taxation.

It is misinformation.

And in a country where January already comes with enough problems, adding imaginary ones is simply bad financial planning.