Citizens and businesses pay taxes to governments all over the world. From income to property tax, every tax is official, and the rate is fixed.
But in Nigeria, you probably need the help of divination to understand the various taxes Nigerians pay to official and unofficial authorities. Complaining of excess taxes in your country? Here are 5 shocking taxes you would never believe that human beings still pay in 2025.
1. Campus Tax
2. Traffic Tax
How can a police or traffic officer who receive barely $40 monthly salary guarantee your safety on the road? So when driving through Nigerian roads, you pay traffic tax to the officers to guarantee your safety. The rate varies depending on your type of car, your dress code and your negotiating skills. Officers call it gate-pass. Nigerians call it traffic tax.
3. Spiritual Tax
If you want to enjoy spiritual gifts such as success, breakthrough, financial blessings, you have to unlock them with your prompt tax payment. Spiritual blessings come with spiritual responsibilities. Pastors call it keys to unlocking spiritual blessings. Nigerians call it spiritual tax. Very compulsory especially if your wife is a pastor’s daughter.
4. Utility Tax
Apart from the electricity bills, Nigerians pay extra for fuel and generator. In Nigeria, power supply is still in its pilot face. Nigerians make extra payment for water because water corporation workers have been on strike. Extra pay for mobile data because public Wi-Fi is no longer public. Other nations call it unnecessary extra expenses. Nigerians call it utility tax, the most powerful tax in the world. It needs no enforcement team, yet compliance rate is 100%.
5. Safety Tax
This is exclusive to those that live in some parts of Bornu state, under the control of Boko Haram. While officials issue press statements, locals pay taxes to terrorists for safety. Government says claims aren’t true. Locals say even military officers are part of the tax payers.
So when next you complain of excess tax in your country, think about Nigeria and Nigerians. It is tax in its entirety. Some require no enforcement, yet, no one wants to default.