‘New tax regime to end multiple levies, boost profitability in haulage industry’

By Olamide Akintunde

The Federal Government’s new tax regime, scheduled to take effect in January 2026, is expected to improve efficiency and profitability in Nigeria’s haulage and logistics industry by eliminating multiple taxation and curbing extortion on the nation’s roads.
Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, said the reforms were part of a deliberate effort to stabilise the economy and translate macroeconomic gains into tangible relief for businesses and citizens.
Speaking at the Haulage and Logistics Magazine Annual Conference and Exhibition held in Lagos, with the theme “Tax Reforms From Policy to Practice: Challenges and Opportunities for the Nigerian Haulage Industry,” Oyedele said the sector stands to be among the biggest beneficiaries of the sweeping changes.
He said: ” There is no doubt that the haulage and logistics industry in Nigeria stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this tax reform in view of the fact that the reform intends to tackle headlong the issue of multiple taxation.
“Officially, there are over 60 taxes and levies that businesses pay in Nigeria. Officially, even that does not make sense. By the time you add unofficial to it, it is more than 200 taxes in a country where they want to create employment. Some of those nuisance levies and taxes are even in our constitution.”
He pointed out that the tax reforms have outlawed road extortion.
The other thing we have done with this tax harmonisation is to outlaw physical barriers for tax collection. Why do we have to put wood on the road with nails? We are now saying under these reforms nobody should have to physically provide any hindrance, roadblock, impediment because they want to collect tax.
“No one should collect taxes in cash because that cash is not even getting to the government,” Oyedele said.
He added that government will deploy technology as a substitute for tax collection.
He said: “If the government decides that you are a big transport company, your vehicle should pay N100,000. We ask you to pay and say Madame Transporter or Mr Transporter you have up until the end of March for example, I’m not saying that’s what is in the law, to pay for the year, if by March you have not and you can even pay in installment the day you find N5,000 go and pay you find N10,000, pay if you have not finished paying by the end of March, you know I can collect that money without showing up.
“I’m trying to demonstrate to you that we are in 2025. It’s called the age of technology. It is embarrassing as a country to go and put wood with nails on the road and be fighting people.”
The convener of the conference, Alfred Okugbeni, in his opening remarks, reiterated that the haulage sector was one impacted by the tax reforms.
He said: “A critical aspect of the reform is the elimination of several taxes, multiple taxation, and illegal levies which continue to inflate the cost of transporting goods in our country.”