Nigerian workers have expressed mixed and largely muted reactions to recent changes in their take-home pay following the implementation of new personal income tax reforms, saying the increases are too small to ease mounting economic pressures.
The reforms introduce adjustments to the Personal Income Tax (PIT) regime, including exemptions for individuals earning the national minimum wage or less and for employees with annual gross income of up to 1.2 million naira. The measures also reduce Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax for those earning up to 20 million naira annually and exempt gifts from taxation.
Despite the changes, many workers said the effect on their salaries has been minimal.
Adetunji Morgan, a banker, said his pay rose by about 5,000 naira. “Yes, the salary increased. I think it increased by about 5,000 naira for me,” he said.
A Lagos State civil servant, Adedayo Lawal, said it was difficult to gauge the impact without reviewing his payslip, noting that a partial Yuletide allowance paid in December made the calculation unclear. He added that he was not expecting a significant increase.
Workers in the private sector reported similar experiences. Tolulope Ifeanyi, who works in financial services, described her increase as negligible. “Mine increased, just a little,” she said.
Media practitioner Joshua Austin said the raise was largely symbolic. “My salary increased, but it is not enough to buy me shawarma for one evening,” he said, adding that the increase had little real value given rising living costs.
Other workers echoed the sentiment online. Gabriel Bolatito, a verified user on X, said the PAYE reduction resulted in only a slight net increase but aligned with expectations.
Uchechi Nwankamma, a contract staff member at Access Bank in Lagos earning between 200,000 and 250,000 naira monthly, said her take-home pay rose modestly. “It’s not a huge change, but it helps cover some of the rising costs of living,” she said.
Across both the public and private sectors, workers interviewed reported salary increases ranging from about 6,000 naira to as little as 400 naira.
Responding to the feedback, Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, said the committee had received confirmations from workers who noticed reductions in their PAYE tax.
“We are pleased to note the feedback from workers who have received their salaries for January 2026 and confirmed a reduction in their PAYE tax, resulting in higher take-home pay under the new tax laws,” Oyedele said in a post on X on Monday.
