The New Capital Gains Tax Law Will Change Your Money Forever: 20 Shocking Facts You Must Know Before January 1, 2026

 

INTRODUCTION — READ THIS BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR NEXT MONEY MOVE

You stand at a crossroads.
On one side is ignorance — the silent destroyer of wealth.
On the other is knowledge — the fuel of freedom.

And right now, at this moment, you’re about to understand something that most Nigerians, including professionals, investors, and even business owners, have not fully digested:

The New Nigerian Tax System taking effect on January 1, 2026 will completely reshape how your assets are taxed, how your investments grow, and how your wealth is transferred.

If you own land…
If you trade shares…
If you buy crypto…
If you run a business…
If you inherit property…
If you gift assets to your children…
If you invest in foreign currency…

…you are already a player inside the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) arena.

This is not a law you can ignore.
This is not a law you can “pray away”.
This is the law that decides whether you rise or fall financially in the coming decade.

You’re about to learn 20 critical facts that will either protect your wealth, multiply it, or expose you to government penalties you can’t escape.

 

1. ALL PROPERTY YOU OWN IS NOW A CHARGEABLE ASSET — NOTHING IS SAFE ANYMORE

The law is blunt:
“All forms of property, wherever located, are chargeable assets unless exempted.”

That means:

• Your land in Ibadan
• Your duplex in Lekki
• Your shares in Zenith, GTCO
• Your crypto wallet
• Your intellectual property
• Your forex holdings
• Your digital assets
• Your rights, options, debts

All chargeable.
All taxable.
All under watch.

You buy 5 BTC at $25,000.
You sell at $45,000.
That ₦ profit?
Chargeable.

The era of invisible assets is over.

 

2. SHARE SALES BELOW ₦150 MILLION IN 12 MONTHS ARE EXEMPT — BUT ONLY IF YOUR GAIN IS BELOW ₦10 MILLION

You sell shares worth ₦147m?
Exempt.

BUT…
If the profit crosses ₦10m?
Taxable.

Two conditions must hold together:

1. Total sales in 12 months less than ₦150m
2. Total gains less than ₦10m

Break one?
You pay.

TABLE 1: SHARE EXEMPTION LOGIC

Total Share Sales in 12 Months	Total Gain	CGT Status
₦120m	₦8m	❌ No Tax
₦100m	₦12m	✅ Taxable
₦160m	₦9m	✅ Taxable
₦200m	₦15m	✅ Taxable

Why this matters

This rule protects everyday investors — but hits big players.
And it will push wealthy investors to disguise transactions.
But the law already anticipated that (you’ll see later).

3. SECURITIES LENDING IS EXEMPT — BECAUSE YOU NEVER REALLY SOLD ANYTHING

If you lend shares to another trader under SEC rules, you’re not taxed.

Why?
Because you didn’t dispose.
You didn’t lose ownership.

Implication

The government respects real, not artificial, transfers.

4. YOU CAN AVOID CGT LEGALLY BY REINVESTING YOUR PROCEEDS IN NIGERIAN SHARES

This is the biggest wealth hack in the entire CGT law.

Sell shares for ₦500 million.
Reinvest in Nigerian shares within the same year.
CGT = ZERO.

If you reinvest only ₦300m, you pay CGT on ₦200m gains proportion.

This is how rich Nigerians will stay rich.

And now you know it too.

5. FOREIGN CURRENCY IS NOW A TAXABLE ASSET — FOREX TRADERS, TAKE NOTE

If you make gains from selling dollars, pounds, euros…
Your gain is taxable.

Example

You buy $50k at ₦910/$ = ₦45.5m
You sell at ₦1,250/$ = ₦62.5m
Gain = ₦17m → Taxable

Who this hits most?

• BDCs
• Black market traders
• Banks
• Importers/speculators
• Individuals storing wealth in USD

Prepare.
January 2026 will expose everyone.

6. IF YOU SELL TO FAMILY OR DO A FUNNY “ARRANGEMENT”, GOVERNMENT WILL USE MARKET VALUE

Trying to game the system?

Sell to your brother for ₦2m instead of ₦20m to avoid CGT?

The law says:
“We will use the real market value.”

You cannot hide under discount sales.
You cannot hide under family transactions.

7. GIFTS ARE VALUED AT LAST ARM’S-LENGTH PRICE — NO MORE MANIPULATION

If you gift an asset, the recipient inherits the original cost or market value.

You cannot wipe tax history with “gift”.
You cannot reduce gain artificially.

The law sees everything.

8. IF A CREDITOR TAKES YOUR PROPERTY, YOU STILL FACE CGT RULES

If you owe GTBank and they take your property as debt settlement:

• You are deemed to sell at market value
• The bank cannot claim more future gain than the amount of the debt

Why

To prevent creative accounting on distress sales.

9. THE DATE OF CONTRACT IS THE DATE OF DISPOSAL — NOT WHEN YOU RECEIVE MONEY

You cannot shift tax liability by delaying payments.
The tax point is the contract date.

You sign contract on December 28, 2026
Buyer pays in February 2027
Your CGT belongs to 2026.

Game over.

10. IF YOU CLAIMED CAPITAL ALLOWANCE, YOU CAN ONLY DEDUCT RESIDUAL VALUE

This hits businesses hard.

You bought machine for ₦40m.
Claimed capital allowance for 3 years.
Tax written-down value now ₦10m.
You sell for ₦25m.

Your gain = ₦15m i.e.,  ₦25m less ₦10m (not ₦25m − ₦40m).

The government will not let you “double enjoy”.

11. YOU CAN DEDUCT EXPENSES OF DISPOSAL — IF THEY ARE REAL

You can deduct:

• Brokerage fee
• Legal fee
• Stamp duty
• Advertisement
• Valuation fee

But they must be:
“ WE i.e., Wholly and Exclusively incurred.”

No fake expenses.
No padded bills.

12. IF YOU RECEIVE INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS, YOUR GAIN IS TAXED IN PROPORTION EACH YEAR

You sell property for ₦90m.
Buyer pays in 3 installments of ₦30m yearly.

Your gain is split into three.
You pay as you receive.

Government doesn’t want you taxed on money you haven’t touched.

Fair.

13. IF YOUR PROPERTY IS DESTROYED AND YOU RECEIVE COMPENSATION, IT CAN STILL BE TAXED

Example: fire razes your shop.

If compensation:

• buys cheaper replacement → gain is taxable
• buys costlier replacement → no gain

You have 3 years to replace.

14. MULTIPLE TRANSACTIONS FORMING A SINGLE BARGAIN ARE TREATED AS ONE

If you break a ₦300m land sale into 6 different ₦50m “sales”…
They will recombine it.

You cannot escape CGT by fragmentation.

15. MARKET VALUE IGNORES DISCOUNTS — CASH OR BULK DISCOUNTS DO NOT REDUCE YOUR CGT

Even if you sold at discount, CGT is based on:
Fair market value.

You cannot avoid tax using “family price”, “pastor price”, “urgent buyer price”.

16. YOUR PRIVATE HOME SALE IS CGT-EXEMPT — BUT ONLY ONCE IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE

This is the deepest secret in the housing tax world.

You sell your home once?
Exempt.

Second time?
Taxed.

Developers cannot hide behind “residence” multiple times.

And mixed-use properties must be apportioned.

17. PERSONAL ITEMS BELOW ₦5 MILLION ARE EXEMPT — BUT THE LAW HAS A TRAP

Your personal chattels — phones, clothes, electronics — are exempt IF:

• value ≤ ₦5m
  or
• value ≤ 3× minimum wage

But…

If you sell many items to the same person, they count as one transaction.

No more loopholes.

18. PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLES ARE EXEMPT — BUT LIMITED TO TWO PER YEAR

If you sell more than two private cars per year, the rest become taxable.

This eliminates “car flipping” disguised as private use.

19. IF YOU RECEIVED AN ASSET AS GIFT AND LATER SELL IT, YOU PAY NO CGT

A powerful relief.

If your father gifted you land in 1995
And you sell in 2026
You pay zero CGT.

This preserves intergenerational wealth.

20. CHARITIES, RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS AND COOPERATIVES ARE EXEMPT — AS LONG AS USE IS GENUINE

Churches.
Mosques.
NGOs.
Unions.
Friendly societies.

All exempt, BUT…

If they misuse the asset?
If they lose their status?

Deemed disposed.
Taxed immediately.

SUMMARY — “THE 20 COMMANDMENTS OF CGT 2026”

1. Everything is taxable unless exempt.
2. Small share sales are protected.
3. Securities lending is neutral.
4. Reinvest to escape tax.
5. Forex gains taxable.
6. Market value rules everything.
7. Gifts preserve tax history.
8. Debt settlements are controlled.
9. Contract date is king.
10. No double enjoyment.
11. Real costs only.
12. Pay as you receive.
13. Compensation can be taxed.
14. Artificial fragmentation banned.
15. Discounts don’t matter.
16. Home-sale exemption is once-in-life.
17. Chattels under ₦5m exempt.
18. Cars exempt up to 2.
19. Gifted assets resale exempt.
20. Charities protected — if honest.

CONCLUSION — THIS IS WHERE YOU DECIDE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE

Let’s drop the polite tone.

Here’s the truth you must swallow:

You cannot build sustainable wealth in Nigeria from 2026 onward if you do not understand Capital Gains Tax.

This law will punish ignorance.
It will expose carelessness.
But it will reward clarity, strategy, and discipline.

If you understand these 20 facts:
You protect your assets.
You shield your family.
You plan your investments.
You avoid penalties.
You grow with confidence.

If you ignore these facts?
You will lose money you didn’t need to lose.

CALL TO ACTION — TAKE CONTROL NOW

1. Reorganize your asset records.
2. Review every property, share, or foreign currency you hold.
3. Speak to a tax professional before selling anything in 2026.
4. Share this article with someone who owns land, shares, or crypto.
5. Return to this blog weekly for more brutally honest financial insights.
6. Build yourself into the kind of Nigerian who understands money — deeply, fearlessly, intentionally.

Your financial future is your responsibility.
Own it.
Drive it.
Protect it.

And remember:

Ignorance is costly. But knowledge? That’s profit.