By Dalena Reporters l January 1, 2026
ABUJA — In a sharply worded New Year’s statement, the Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) on Thursday, January 1, 2026, called on Nigerians to resist what it described as “anti-poor tax policies” introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, warning that the measures will worsen economic hardship for ordinary citizens already struggling under inflation, unemployment, and declining public services.
According to the RSM — a left-wing political organisation active in Nigeria’s labour and social justice spheres the incoming implementation of controversial tax reforms reflects a policy choice that shifts the burden of Nigeria’s economic crisis onto workers, low-income earners and vulnerable groups, while shielding wealthy elites and large corporations from similar sacrifice.
In its message, the movement detailed what it called the “deepening hardship” facing Nigerians as the new year begins, citing ever-rising food prices, repeated fuel price increases, chronic unemployment, and the steady deterioration of healthcare, education, housing and basic infrastructure. conditions that, in the RSM’s view, make everyday survival increasingly difficult for millions of Nigerians.
The RSM argued that taxation under the current regime has failed to deliver tangible benefits, contending that despite new and increased levies, public funds continue to be drained by systemic corruption, debt servicing obligations, and what the group described as “extravagant lifestyles of political elites.” It maintained that ordinary citizens should not bear the costs of a crisis they did not create, advocating instead for measures such as the recovery of stolen public wealth, higher taxes on big businesses and the super-rich, and greater investment in public services and decent job creation.
Highlighting its broader strategic priorities, the group urged trade unions, civil society organisations, students and community groups to build a united front of peaceful resistance to the tax policies, calling for organised struggle, solidarity and collective action to protect living standards and democratic rights.
The call comes amid intense national debate over Nigeria’s Tax Reform Act, which the federal government has moved to implement from January 1, 2026, despite widespread criticism from opposition lawmakers, civil society voices and regional coalitions who argue the bill contains procedural irregularities and legal discrepancies. The policy rollout part of President Tinubu’s broader economic strategy to overhaul Nigeria’s tax system after years of subsidy removals and currency adjustments has sparked political pushback and public unease.
Critics outside the RSM have also framed the tax reforms as tipping the scales against ordinary Nigerians, with other opposition voices describing the current tax environment as punitive and regressive, especially as inflation and cost-of-living pressures mount.
As the tax laws take effect, the RSM’s call for resistance adds to a growing chorus of dissent and reflects broader anxieties among segments of Nigeria’s population about the distributional impacts of fiscal policy and the social contract between government and citizens.