The Office of the Tax Ombud says it is seeking a partnership with the Nigerian Postal Service to extend free tax complaint-resolution services to market traders and rural taxpayers.

Its chief executive, John Nwabueze, disclosed this at a town hall meeting on Friday. According to a statement signed by his spokesperson, Chukwudi Achife, the ombud office is close to formalising the collaboration with NIPOST to make its services more accessible.

“Our focus is not only on the rights of taxpayers but also on their responsibilities and those of the relevant authorities. Our services, which are offered free of charge, are designed to resolve disputes, mediate complaints, and promote a transparent, fair, and consistent tax administration system,” Mr Neabueze said.

The ombud was established under the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025, to handle complaints relating to tax and revenue administration.

Its mandate covers matters involving taxes, levies, regulatory fees and charges, customs duties and excise.

According to its published guidance, taxpayers must first exhaust the relevant revenue authority’s internal complaint-resolution procedures before approaching the ombud. The office then assesses whether a complaint falls within its mandate before investigating it.

Mr Nwabueze said the office addressed operational, procedural and administrative grievances but was not established to cancel legitimate tax liabilities.

“We do not make tax policy. We do not encourage non-compliance, shield taxpayers from their lawful obligations, or perform the functions of the courts. Our role is to facilitate the fair and impartial resolution of eligible complaints within our statutory mandate,” he said.

He said the office would also work with stakeholders to address inadequate transparency and inefficient complaint-handling procedures.

Representatives of market associations, small businesses, professional bodies, road transport unions and airline operators attended the meeting.

According to the statement, participants called for simpler administrative processes, clearer tax assessment criteria and effective channels for resolving disputes.

Mr Nwabueze said a fair and predictable tax system was important for economic growth, investor confidence and voluntary compliance among traders and other businesses.

Transport workers and market representatives at the meeting complained about multiple levies, unclear assessments and unauthorised revenue collectors.

Sulaiman Danzaki, an adviser to the National Union of Road Transport Workers, said transport operators faced repeated charges on their journeys, sometimes without a clear explanation of what the payments covered.

He said a trailer driver travelling from Taraba through Calabar to Lagos could pay more than N350,000 in levies. He also alleged that some collectors issued fake receipts.

“We are not afraid of paying the tax,” Mr Danzaki said, calling for discussions with the authorities to resolve disputes over the charges.

Faruk Baffa, head of finance and accounts at Abuja Markets Management Limited, raised similar concerns on behalf of the company’s managing director, Onya Ojiji. He said traders faced several levies on the same activity, collections without proper receipts, unclear assessments and demands from unauthorised collectors.

“Taxpayers do not resist taxes so much as they resist unfairness, uncertainty and the absence of visible value,” Mr Baffa said.

He said the company would educate traders about their rights and complaint procedures, work with revenue authorities to discourage multiple and unauthorised levies, and present traders’ concerns to the ombud.