Nigeria's new tax law leaves remittances alone. But if you have economic ties to Nigeria, the rules have changed and nobody sent you a clear letter.

Earlier this month, a claim went viral in diaspora WhatsApp groups. The message said Nigeria's new Tax Act would slash remittances by 20 percent. It was shared thousands of times. Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele pushed back publicly. So did Zenith Bank. The claim was wrong.

Remittances are not taxed under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, which took effect on January 1, 2026. Money you send to your mother in Lagos, your rent contribution to a sibling's flat in Abuja, a transfer to cover a hospital bill in Port Harcourt. None of that is taxed.

But here's where it gets more complicated for a significant portion of the diaspora reading this.

The new law introduces what tax advisers are calling the "force of attraction" rule. Once a non-resident company or individual has a meaningful economic footprint in Nigeria, income streams connected to that footprint can become taxable in Nigeria. This applies regardless of where that income is physically generated. The rule targets digital businesses and cross-border companies operating in Nigeria's market without paying Nigerian tax. But its edges catch more than that.

If you receive dividends from a Nigerian company, those may now fall under Nigerian tax jurisdiction. If you own property in Nigeria and generate rental income from it, that income is now assessable. If you run a business that operates in Nigeria, even remotely, the Nigerian Revenue Service may consider a portion of your profits to be Nigeria-sourced income.

The Nigerian government is also required to share more data with international tax authorities under the OECD's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting framework. That cooperation runs in both directions. Countries where Nigerian diaspora members pay tax will increasingly share information with Abuja.

For most Nigerians in the UK sending money home, none of this creates an immediate liability. The remittance is safe. But the Nigerian accountant you've been meaning to call about the flat you inherited in Lekki. Or the shares in a family business you're technically a director of. That's a different conversation. The tax act changed the rules. The enforcement is coming. Nobody sent you a letter.

The cost of not knowing this is higher than the cost of finding out.