LAGOS — The Association of Small Business Owners in Nigeria (ASBON) has called on the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) to urgently overhaul its Tax ProMax portal, labeling the digital platform a significant “burden” to the country’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Despite being designed to simplify the filing of tax identification numbers, revenue data, and monthly obligations, the portal has been plagued by technical glitches since its launch two months ago, threatening the compliance efforts of thousands of businesses.
The Friction in “Seamless” Compliance
ASBON President Dr. Femi Egbesola highlighted that while the initiative was promised to be a “seamless” digital solution, the reality has been one of persistent unresponsiveness and system freezes.
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Technical Failures: Small business owners report that the site is frequently down during peak filing periods, leading to fears of late-filing penalties.
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Lack of Feedback: Despite numerous complaints from the business community, Egbesola noted a frustrating lack of communication or troubleshooting support from the NRS.
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The Banking Standard: Egbesola argued that if Nigerian banking software can handle millions of high-stakes transactions daily, a government tax portal should be capable of managing similar data volumes.
Impact on the “Missing Middle”
The failure of digital infrastructure like Tax ProMax adds an extra layer of difficulty for the “missing middle”—businesses that are attempting to professionalize their operations and move into the formal economy.
For many SMEs, the costs of compliance are not just the taxes themselves, but the man-hours lost trying to navigate unreliable government platforms.
The Call for Infrastructure Integrity
ASBON’s concerns underscore a broader 2026 economic theme: Digital services must be backed by reliable infrastructure. As President Tinubu pushes for a “New Hope” in public finance and tax reform, the success of these policies hinges on whether the tools provided to citizens actually work.
“The portal is not seamless as we were promised; it is extremely frustrating. It underscores the challenges SMEs face in navigating digital government services.” — Dr. Femi Egbesola, President of ASBON
Looking Ahead
The NRS has yet to issue an official statement regarding the timeline for a system upgrade. However, analysts suggest that until the Tax ProMax portal achieves “banking-grade” reliability, the government may need to consider extending filing deadlines or providing manual alternatives to prevent penalizing businesses for technical failures beyond their control.
