By Emmanuella Opara | October 23rd 2026
KEY POINTS
- The Office of the Tax Ombud wants tax authorities to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability in revenue administration.
- The office is developing a Taxpayer Charter in five languages to improve awareness of taxpayers’ rights and responsibilities.
- The Tax Ombud identified five pillars, including procedural justice, quality service and protection of vulnerable taxpayers.
- CITN President Samuel Agbeluyi called tax fairness and revenue collection a continuous process.
MAIN STORY
The Office of the Tax Ombud has called on tax and revenue authorities to ensure fair treatment of taxpayers, transparent decisions and accountability in Nigeria’s tax administration to strengthen public confidence and encourage voluntary compliance.
The Chief Executive Officer of the office, Dr John Nwabueze, made the call at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Abuja on Friday, themed “Promoting Fairness in Tax and Revenue Administration in Nigeria”.
Nwabueze said the office was committed to protecting taxpayers’ rights, resolving administrative complaints and identifying systemic weaknesses that required corrective action.
He described the office as an impartial link between taxpayers, government and revenue authorities, saying its role was not to advocate for any particular party.
According to him, the office has established complaints-handling procedures, digital management systems, stakeholder partnerships, taxpayer education initiatives and a dedicated call centre to improve its operations.
He identified consistent tax interpretation, procedural justice, quality service, transparency and accountability, and protection of vulnerable taxpayers as the five pillars guiding its work.
Nwabueze said tax exemptions and reliefs provided by law, particularly those available to eligible small businesses, must be properly communicated and respected.
He added that taxpayers were entitled to fair hearings, transparent decisions and timely responses to complaints in line with the law.
The office is also developing a Taxpayer Charter to explain taxpayers’ rights and responsibilities in English, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin.
Nwabueze said the initiative was intended to improve public awareness and help individuals and businesses understand their tax obligations and the channels available for resolving complaints.
He urged tax and revenue authorities to apply the law consistently, communicate clearly and treat taxpayers with dignity. He also encouraged individuals and businesses to meet their lawful tax obligations and use established channels to report genuine grievances.
The Tax Ombud chief called on professional bodies, the private sector, civil society organisations and the media to support public awareness and constructive engagement on tax administration.
He said the office would continue to address complaints, facilitate fair resolutions and recommend improvements where systemic problems were identified.
According to him, a fair tax system could encourage voluntary compliance, reduce disputes and provide a predictable environment for investment and economic growth.
The President and Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Mr Samuel Agbeluyi, described tax fairness and revenue collection as a continuous process.
Agbeluyi commended the Office of the Tax Ombud for its efforts and urged it to sustain its work.
THE ISSUES
Fairness in tax administration involves more than collecting revenue. Taxpayers also need clear information about their obligations, consistent application of the law and accessible channels for challenging administrative decisions.
The proposed Taxpayer Charter is intended to make information on taxpayers’ rights and responsibilities available in five languages. The effectiveness of the initiative will depend on public awareness and how the stated protections are applied in practice.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Office of the Tax Ombud plans to continue handling complaints, facilitating resolutions and recommending changes to address systemic weaknesses. It is also developing the multilingual Taxpayer Charter to improve public understanding of tax rights and obligations.
BOTTOM LINE
The Tax Ombud is seeking a tax administration system that balances lawful revenue collection with fair treatment, transparency and accountability to build public confidence and encourage voluntary compliance.
