By Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
Ebonyi State, Nigeria – The Neighbourhood Initiative for Women Advancement (NIWA), a leading non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering women and youth in Nigeria yesterday addressed the Impact of New Tax Laws on Women and Communities.
In a press release, NIWA shared its insights on the potential implications of the reforms, particularly for women-led businesses and grassroots communities.
Nancy Oko-Onyia, Team Lead at NIWA, emphasized the organization’s role as host of the Ebonyi State Tax Justice and Governance Platform, underscoring their commitment to ensuring that the benefits of the new tax policies are equitably distributed, especially among vulnerable groups.
“The new tax laws represent a significant shift in Nigeria’s fiscal landscape. It is crucial that their implications are fully understood especially by those most likely to be affected, such as women and low-income communities,” Oko-Onyia said.
NIWA highlighted a key provision in the new laws that exempts small companies with annual gross turnovers of ₦50 million or less from,Companies Income Tax (CIT),Capital Gains Tax (CGT),Collection and remittance of Value Added Tax (VAT),Withholding Tax (WHT),The newly introduced Development Levy.
This exemption threshold, which was increased from ₦25 million, is seen as a positive step that could reduce compliance burdens and promote the growth of women-led SMEs.
However, NIWA cautioned that despite these gains, the reforms still fall short of being explicitly gender-responsive. The absence of targeted tax credits, waivers, or capacity-building programs designed specifically for women especially those operating in the informal sector could limit the intended impact.
NIWA commended the government’s efforts to promote tax equity. Key measures such as, Exemption of individuals earning ₦800,000 or less annually from personal income tax, Zero VAT on essential goods and services (like food and medicine), A 20% rent deduction (capped at ₦500,000) for employees and low-income earners,These safeguards are aimed at protecting rural households and low-income women from regressive tax impacts.
However, NIWA stressed that the effectiveness of these measures hinges on robust public awareness and transparent implementation.
“We will closely monitor the application of these exemptions to ensure they deliver real financial relief for women, especially at the grassroots level,” the statement read.
Understanding that informed citizens are key to successful policy implementation, NIWA is launching a series of educational initiatives to bridge the information gap in communities across Ebonyi State. Planned activities include, Community workshops and sensitization campaigns in local languages , Distribution of simplified, easy-to-understand tax information materials;, Engagement with community leaders, women’s groups, and local authorities; Collaboration with the Ebonyi State Internal Revenue Service (EBSIR) to support compliance and equity.
“Our mission is to ensure that women and marginalized groups are not left behind in the implementation of these reforms. We are committed to advocacy, education, and accountability,” Oko-Onyia added.
NIWA calls on all stakeholders including government agencies, civil society organizations, and the media to work together to ensure that the spirit of fairness and empowerment embedded in the tax reforms is truly realized for all Nigerians.
