Kwara Revenue Agency Generated N19.94b in 2017

The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) generated a total sum of N19.94billion in revenue for the state in 2017.

The revenue generation represented an increase of over N2billion against N17.4biilion raked in as 2016 Internally Generate Revenue (IGR).

The Executive Chairman, KWIRS, Dr. Muritala Awodun disclosed this to journalists in Ilorin at a media briefing on the state of the revenue generation by the agency. He attributed the increase to the commitment and tenacity of purpose of the service.

Awodun said the state revenue was N7.2billion prior to the creation of the service in 2015 but the agency vigorously pursued the mandate given to it in order to raise the huge sum.

He explained that the KWIRS adopted multiple systematic approaches including press and praise with a view to making people willingly submit due taxes to the coffers of the state.

He noted that the service experienced lot of challenges in collecting revenue payable by some individuals as a result of inadequate advocacy.

The KWIRS boss, who likened the problems faced by the agency to a baby learning how to walk, expressed optimism that it would surmount them.

He clarified that the service has not introduced new taxes as being made to believe, saying that it was only widening the tax net and harnessed areas that were not initially captured.

Awodun stated that the agency would intensify advocacy through a collaboration with the media for members of the public to be abreast of the operations of the revenue service. “We see the last two years as our start-up period. If during the start up period we met the revenue in 2015 at N7.2billion; 2016, we were able to move it N17.4billion; and in 2017, the tentative IGR figure is at N19.94billion. I said tentative because there are still one or two information that are not in yet. But at least, we can take that as a good start up.

“This is because the two years need to be taken together; a year is not enough for a child to start walking; a child may start learning how to walk within a year, for he would more or less establish his ground in the second year when he would now begin to walk properly.

“And you see that in the course of walking in the second year, we have our own share of the accident that the child would normally have in an attempt to walk. When you are trying to walk around the house as a child, you would fall down and then you stand up again to continue to walk, because if you refused to stand up again, you may not walk forever.

“So, we thank God that we had our share of learning to walk and we are still standing. Last year, we survived it and the organisation remains solid. So, what happened last year has gone also into history and we can say that the purpose of the start up has been fully accomplished”, Awodun said.