abuja jan 5 reuters  nigeria plans to tax digital nonresident companies that sell products to local customers at 6 of turnover finance minister zainab ahmed said on wednesday as part of fiscal reforms to boost revenues and diversify the oildependent economy at around 45 of gdp nigeria has one of the lowest tax rates in the world and has struggled to increase tax collection from its nonoil sector the world bank said last year nigeria could raise the proportion to around 7 over the coming three years assuming property tax excise duty and personal income reforms are undertaken and that nonoil taxes needed to be at least 1275 of gdp this is introducing turnover tax on a fair and reasonable basis ahmed said referring to valueadded tax vat obligation of digital nonresident companies such digital services include apps high frequency trading electronic data storage and online advertising ahmed said in a televised speech discussing the 2022 budget signed into law last week ahmed said the government wants to modernise taxes for its digital economy and to improve compliance she said digital nonresident companies do not need to be registered locally but would have an arrangement with the nigerian tax authority to collect and remit taxes as a way to reduce the compliance burden nigeria has imposed additional excise taxes on cigarette alcoholic beverages and last year said it would consider introducing levies on telecoms airtime charges after it raised vat to generate more money for government the world bank last year urged the country to issue the necessary regulations to implement the excise tax on telecoms airtime charges