Nearly three months after President Tinubu signed the tax reform bills into law, Nigeria's crypto community on X is finding, to its utter astonishment, that a piece of legislation known as the Nigerian Tax Administration Act(NTAA)now regulates virtual assets taxation in the country.
The Nigerian Tax Administration Act(NTAA) was one of the tax bills to which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave presidential assent in July, and it will take effect from January 1st , 2026. Specifically, Section 79 of the NTAA deals with virtual asset taxation, containing a list of taxable transactions and establishing an objective standard for determining their tax treatments.
For example, staking or mining rewards are considered income, triggering a progressive Personal Income Tax (PIT) of 7%-24%. For the sale, exchange, or transfer of virtual assets such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, the applicable tax is the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) at a 10% rate.
Additionally, airdrops and bounties are subject to a progressive PIT of 7%-24%, while receiving payments for goods and services in crypto attracts a combination of taxes, including 7.5% VAT, 7%-24% PIT, and 30% Corporate Income Tax (CIT) for companies.
To ensure compliance with the new tax law, the Nigerian Revenue Service (formerly the Federal Inland Revenue Service)mandates all virtual assets service providers (VASPs) to register with the agency for tax purposes. However, with only a handful of VASPs provisionally licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the enforceability of this new law remains a key question.
With the tax man closing in, Nigerian crypto investors are eager to know how the Nigerian Revenue Service(NRS)is planning to collect taxes, especially because many people actually believe that tax and crypto don't mix. This notion is popular in the crypto space where millions of users feel safe and invisible behind walls of decentralization.
Nigerian crypto investors are asking some vital questions: How can the government justify imposing a tax regime on an industry it is recalcitrant to recognize or support? How does it justify taxing an asset class it has failed to objectively classify? Why does the government believe that rolling out a tax policy is better than opening up Nigeria's crypto market? And how did we end up with a crypto tax without incentives!
Public Reaction
The new tax law has triggered not just fear but also confusion within the Nigerian crypto community. In various X spaces, the atmosphere is thick with frustration. The profligacy of the Nigerian government, which is at the heart of many ill-conceived policies, was openly discussed, with critics wasting no time to vent their anger and frustration.
Furthermore, the key takeaway from these X spaces is that crypto, which has lifted many young Nigerians out of poverty, is now under attack! It's no exaggeration to view crypto as a tool for survival in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, adoption, and not regulation, made Nigeria a global crypto powerhouse.
According to Chainalysis, Nigeria alone accounts for about 45% of the total on-chain value(205 billion) received by Sub-Saharan Africa from June 2024 to July 2025 , emphasizing that the key driver of this statistic is the country's inflation and high retail activity.
Conclusion
Nigeria's new crypto tax framework, as outlined in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025, signals the growing recognition of crypto activity within the economy. It seeks to provide a predictable environment for an industry that has largely operated in a regulatory gray area.
However, the journey from legislative intent to effective implementation will be fraught with challenges. The disconnect between the government's centralized tax collection model and the decentralized, pseudonymous nature of the crypto space is at the heart of the enforcement question.
While the law is clear on paper that on-chain activities like staking, airdrops, and peer-to-peer trades are taxable, the practical reality of tracking and taxing these transactions is a monumental task.
Ultimately, the success of this new tax regime will depend on more than just legal might. It will hinge on the government's ability to build a robust enforcement infrastructure, foster public trust, and, perhaps most importantly, provide compelling incentives for voluntary compliance.
As it stands, the growing anger and confusion in the crypto community highlight a crucial point: effective regulation in this space requires collaboration and support, not just an order from the top.
The feature image was generated with AI. It is not 100% accurate.