FG Abolishes Consolidated Relief Allowance Introduces Rent-Based Tax Relief
By Kamal Yalwa August 1, 2025 The Federal Government has scrapped the longstanding consolidated relief and personal relief allowances under Nigeria’s personal income tax system, replacing them with a new rent-based deduction framework, as introduced in the newly enacted Tax Act. According to the law, an individual’s taxable income will now be computed as the total income minus total deductions, with income sources including profits from business or trade, employment and investment income, as well as capital gains from the disposal of chargeable assets. Previously, tax computation included a consolidated relief of ₦200,000 or 1% of gross income (whichever is higher), plus a 20% personal relief of gross income. Under the new provisions, these have been abolished and replaced with a rent relief formula aimed at providing targeted tax benefits. “Rent relief of 20% of annual rent paid, subject to a maximum of ₦500,000, whichever is lower,” the Act states.The relief is limited to tenants, with no provision made for homeowners. New Relief to Favour Low-Income Earners Speaking to TheCable, tax consultant John Nwokolo explained that the new system is designed to favour lower-income earners, while high-income individuals will pay more under the revised Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) framework. “Those earning below ₦25 million annually will benefit more from the new structure,” Nwokolo said, “while those earning above ₦25 million will face higher tax burdens compared to the previous law.” For example, a person earning ₦6 million annually and paying ₦1 million in rent will receive a rent relief of ₦200,000 (20% of rent), making the taxable income ₦5.8 million, and a tax of ₦834,000.Under the old law, with ₦1.2 million in total relief, the taxable income would have been ₦4.6 million, leading to a tax of ₦896,000—₦62,000 more in taxes than under the new law. Key Provisions of the New Tax Act The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and state tax authorities are expected to issue further guidance on the implementation of the new tax provisions.