A Nigerian influencer popularly known as Raye has taken to social media to express frustration after being charged ₦487,500 in Value Added Tax (VAT) on purchases worth ₦6.5 million, sparking widespread reactions online.
Her outcry comes amid the Federal Government of Nigeria’s new tax laws, which officially took effect on January 1, 2026. The reforms are aimed at improving transparency and tightening VAT collection, particularly on high-value transactions.
Sharing a screenshot of the VAT charges on her X (formerly Twitter) account, Raye lamented the sudden increase in her bill, attributing it to the new tax regime.
“Tax don start. These people just added tax to my bill; they said it’s due to the new tax law,” she wrote.
The post quickly gained traction, triggering heated debates across social media platforms. While some Nigerians argued that stricter tax enforcement is necessary to boost government revenue and drive national development, others sympathised with influencers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners already grappling with rising operational costs.
Several users pointed out that the new VAT enforcement could hit digital workers, content creators, and online business owners particularly hard, as many of them rely on high-value transactions to operate.
Reacting online, one user wrote, “God abeg oo, this year go tough pass last year. How much tax be this?” Another commented, “Tax for a country that isn’t functioning well. It is well.”
As VAT enforcement tightens in 2026, incidents like Raye’s suggest that more Nigerians may soon begin to feel the financial strain of the new tax regime.
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Published by Ejoh Caleb
