Stamp duties are indirect taxes/charges for a stamp or seal
applied on a written or electronic document which if executed,
makes it a legal document and will be admissible in any court of
law. These taxes are imposed on various types of documents
including but are not limited to sale of land agreements, tenancy
agreements, contracts, and documents such as cheques, letters,
promissory notes, certificates of admission, and insurance policies
etc. These taxes are usually paid to the Federal Inland Revenue
Services at the federal level and by the State Internal Revenue
Services at the state level.
The Stamp Duties Act ("SDA" or
"Act")1 , which governs the administration of
stamp duties in Nigeria, is one of Nigeria's oldest Acts, and
has been significantly shaped by amendments through various Finance
Acts. One peculiarity with the SDA is its approach to listing
offences and penalties. Unlike other laws where offences and
penalties are neatly categorized, the SDA
