The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has urged content creators, influencers and other players in the creative industry to formalise their businesses, obtain Tax Identification Numbers and pay their taxes in order to access incentives and grow sustainably.
Speaking during a tax policy session at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend 2026 in Lagos on Thursday, officials of the agency warned that operating through personal bank accounts without proper registration and records could limit creators’ chances of securing corporate deals, attracting investors and accessing financing.
Officials of the Agency also described formalization less as a compliance burden than as a route to scale for entrepreneurs earning substantial income through digital platforms
Kazeem Lawal, an Assistant Director of Tax at the NRS, said creators who collect business earnings through personal bank accounts and lack proper documentation risk limiting their commercial prospects.
Registered businesses, he said, gain separate legal identities, greater credibility and a stronger position to attract investors and win corporate work.
“Formalization is what creates the pathway to growth and then sustainability in business,” Lawal said, urging digital creators to build enterprises that can outlast their founders.
This comes as the creative industry, including influencers, filmmakers, musicians, designers and digital publishers, has become an increasingly visible source of income and employment.
But the NRS says informal structures can leave creators unable to demonstrate revenue, expenses or profitability to lenders, investors and larger corporate clients.
Simeon Onyegbula, an a
Assistant Director in the NRS’s Field Operation Monitoring Department, told entrepreneurs to obtain tax identification numbers and maintain invoices, receipts, ledgers and other records.
Such documentation, he said, is needed to establish taxable profit and substantiate business expenses.
He drew a firm line between business and personal spending: private expenditure cannot be claimed as a deductible business cost unless it satisfies legal requirements.
“Formalize, register, and obtain a tax ID,” Onyegbula said.
“Keep proper records with all of this, and comply with all the relevant tax laws. Enjoy all the incentives available, and then grow,” he added.
The NRS paired its compliance message with a set of incentives aimed at smaller and expanding businesses.
Companies with annual turnover of no more than 100 million naira and fixed assets below 250 million naira may qualify for zero company income tax and exemption from the 4% development levy, according to Mustapha Akaje, the s
Service’s Director of Government Business for the South Directorate.
Small businesses no longer need separate exemption certificates, but they must continue filing returns to demonstrate eligibility, Akaje said.
Lawal also sought to clarify value-added tax obligations. Small businesses are relieved of certain VAT-collection responsibilities, though they may still incur VAT on taxable purchases, he said.
Taxpayers wrongly charged VAT can seek refunds within 30 days without a prior audit.
The NRS said other incentives cover qualifying startups, research and development, foreign-source income, overseas tax credits and export-oriented businesses in free-trade zones.
To support the shift, the agency said it would establish an Investment and Tax Advisory Hub and a Creative Economy Tax and Investment Initiative.
The platforms are intended to guide creators on registration, incentives, investment opportunities and compliance, while deepening engagement between the revenue service and creative businesses.
For content creators, the agency’s message is straightforward: online popularity may build an audience, but formal structures, clean books and tax compliance are increasingly being presented as the foundation for financing, contracts and durable growth.
