Cashless Payments and Tax Reforms: Major Federal Policies Starting January 2026
By: Abudu Olalekan
Big changes are coming. Like, really big. The Federal Government just laid out a blueprint for 2026, and it’s going to touch everything. How you pay for things. How businesses get taxed. Even how goods clear at the ports. It’s a whole new playbook aimed at transparency, revenue, and honestly, dragging government operations into the modern era. Buckle up.
Let’s start with your wallet. Cash is about to become officially unwelcome. Starting in 2026, all payments to the federal government go digital. Passport fees? Digital. Driver’s license? Digital. Any permit, any regulatory charge—you’ll need a card or a transfer. No more cash. The goal is clear: slam the door on leakages and make every naira trackable. It’s a huge shift. For some, it’s convenience. For others, a real hurdle. But the direction is unmistakable. We’re going cashless, at least when dealing with the Feds.
Then there’s the taxman. Or should we say, the new tax service. The old FIRS is out. Meet the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS). It’s not just a name change. It’s a whole new framework kicking in on January 1, 2026. Every taxpayer, from the big corporations to individuals, needs to get familiar with new procedures. The message is about streamlining, maybe. But definitely about casting a wider, more efficient net. Compliance is going to look different.
Trade is getting a tune-up, too. Ever dealt with the nightmare of clearing goods? The government promises relief with the National Single Window (NSW). The directive is blunt: the steering committee has until the first quarter of 2026 to make it fully operational. The idea is beautiful in its simplicity. One platform for all trade and Customs procedures. Less bureaucracy. Fewer headaches for importers and exporters. If it works, it could be a game-changer. A big “if,” but the intent is there.
Underpinning all this is something called Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX). Rollout is set for early 2026. Fancy names, but the goal is straightforward: get government agencies talking to each other digitally. Share data securely. The promise is faster, smarter services for everyone. Less running from one office to another with the same documents. It’s the unsexy backbone that makes the flashy stuff possible.
Now, here’s a curveball about new projects. For the 2026 budget, there’s a focus on finishing what we started. The government has directed that a whopping 70% of the 2025 capital budget rolls over. Translation? Don’t expect a slew of new mega-projects. The priority is completing existing ones in security, infrastructure, and social services. It’s a pragmatic, maybe cautious, move. Revenue is tight. Better to finish a few things properly than start a dozen that go nowhere.
And to tie the revenue knot tight, there’s the Revenue Optimisation Platform (RevOp). This is the government’s central nervous system for money. It will pull together collection, reconciliation, and monitoring from all MDAs. It links up with the TSA, existing financial systems, and the banks. The target? Every single loophole where money can slip away. Total transparency. Or that’s the theory.
