ECONOMY
January 2026 Payslips Will Tell the Story: New Tax Laws to Deliver Relief for Low-Income Earners, Says FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji
The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, has assured Nigerians, particularly lower-cadre income earners, that the impact of the country’s newly introduced tax laws will become clearly evident in their January 2026 salaries.
Speaking on Tuesday during TVC’s Journalists Hangout, Adedeji urged workers in the lower income bracket to carefully examine their January payslips and compare them with deductions made under the now-defunct tax regime.
According to him, the difference will confirm that the new tax framework is designed to ease, not worsen, the financial burden on ordinary Nigerians.
Adedeji explained that under the new tax laws, lower-cadre income earners are expected to experience reduced tax deductions, a change that will directly reflect in their take-home pay by the end of January 2026. He emphasized that the reforms were intentionally crafted as a protective measure for citizens amid prevailing economic realities.
Contrary to widespread speculation and public anxiety, the FIRS chairman stressed that the new tax laws are not revenue-driven policies aimed at overburdening workers, but rather people-centered reforms meant to safeguard disposable income and support household stability.
He further clarified that essential and sensitive areas of daily living have been deliberately shielded from taxation under the new laws.
According to Adedeji, items and services critical to survival and mobility, such as food and transportation have been exempted from transactional taxes to prevent undue pressure on Nigerians’ finances.
“By the time the salary is being paid by the end of January, the salary earner in that lower cadre will confirm compared to what they’ve paid under the old law,” he said.
Addressing the wave of misinformation and fear circulating on social media and in public discourse, Adedeji urged Nigerians to disregard unverified claims and rumors surrounding the tax reforms. He noted that many of the alarming predictions associated with the new laws have already proven to be unfounded.
“You can see now that we are on the 13th of January, all those myths… You can see that those things were nowhere to be found,” he added.
Adedeji’s remarks come as the federal government continues to implement fiscal reforms aimed at balancing revenue generation with social protection, reassuring citizens that the new tax regime prioritizes fairness, equity, and economic relief for the most vulnerable segmen
ts of the workforce.