Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani and the Executive Secretary of the Joint Revenue Board (JRB), Olusegun Adesokan, have disclosed that the era of multiple and overlapping taxation will soon become a thing of the past following the introduction of the new tax reforms.

They spoke separately during the 160th meeting of the Joint Revenue Board meeting held in Kaduna on Wednesday,  with the theme, ”One Year Of Tax Reform: Assessing Progress and Addressing Challenges.”

Giving an overview of the progress made one year into the implementation of the tax reform, the JRB Executive Secretary disclosed that 18 State Houses of Assembly have domesticated the model harmonised taxes and levies law as the nation’s apex tax authorities move to curb the menace of tax overlapping and duplication across Nigeria.

Adesokan said the new legislation has reduced the over 50 collection items hitherto administered by States and Local Government Areas to nine sub-heads.

The model law further abolishes cash collection and mounting of roadblocks for collection of revenue.

The JRB Executive Sectetary said the measure has recorded a significant success in the harmonisation of taxes and levies by the subnational.

Addressing the misconception that the tax reform has increased taxes, Adesokan said the reform has rather reduced tax burden on low-income earners and eliminated multiple nuisance taxes, while providing reliefs for low income-earners and micro-scale businesses.

The Executive Secretary appreciated the Kaduna State Governor for hosting the 160th JRB meeting and for his consistent support of the tax reform initiative.

He particularly commended the governor for nominating a member of the Board and outgoing Executive Chairman of Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Jerry Adams as his running mate for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

In his own remarks while declaring the meeting open, Governor Sani expressed his delight with the tax, stressing that apart from eliminating duplication of taxation, it has enhanced revenue generation.

He observed that the national tax revenue  has so far  risen to N21.6 trillion since President Bola Tinubu introduced tax reform in 2026.

According to him, the nation’s revenue was  approximately N10.1 trillion in 2023,  N21.6 trillion in 2024 and about N36.8 trillion in 2025.

He said in the first half of 2026 alone, revenue reached approximately N21.6 trillion, representing a 49 per cent increase over the corresponding period of the previous year.

Sani commended President Bola Tinubu for taking what he described as ”the bold and politically demanding decision to fundamentally reform Nigeria’s tax architecture through landmark legislation, including the Act that transformed the former Joint Tax Board into the Joint Revenue Board.”

The Governor said that decision reflected a profound understanding that a modern economy cannot be sustained by an outdated, fragmented or overly complex revenue system.

”Nigeria requires a tax architecture that is coherent, predictable, efficient and capable of supporting national development without unnecessarily constraining enterprise and investment,” he argued.

The Governor stated that sustainable taxation cannot rest on coercion alone but  must be founded on fairness, transparency, predictability and trust.

”Citizens and businesses are more likely to comply when they understand their obligations, encounter a system that is straightforward to navigate, and have confidence that the resources they contribute are being responsibly applied to the public good,” he said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman, Joint Revenue Board, Dr Zacch Adedeji, who was represented by the Executive Director Finance and Corporate Services, Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Muhammad Abubakar, said the theme of the 160th meeting is a call on the Board to take stock of the progress made in the implementation of the reform, remediate identified gaps and confront the challenges that may emerge.

He further stated that while encouraging progress has been recorded in institutional reform, digitalisation, data integration, harmonisation and collaboration, the ultimate measure of success of the reform must be improved revenue mobilisation, greater compliance, a better taxpayer experience and stronger contribution to national development.