KADUNA State has taken the top position as the state with the highest internally generated revenue in the northern region, generating a whopping N62.48 billion in 2023.
This is a significant increase from the previous year when it generated N58 billion.
The report was released recently by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), highlighting the resilience of certain states in revenue generation and economic challenges.
Speaking on the revenue feat, the Executive Chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service Jerry Adams, said Governor Uba Sani’s led administration policy of financial inclusion and widening the tax net as well as reorganising the entire service has resulted in increased internal revenue generation in Kaduna State.
Noting that it is not surprising that Kaduna State was ranked as the subnational with the highest revenue generation in 2023 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Adams said the credit goes to Governor Uba Sani for automating tax administration in Kaduna State and providing work tools to drive the process.
According to him, KADIRS now has a one-stop-tax portal called “Pay Kaduna Portal,” which enables citizens to pay their taxes from anywhere, without physically coming to the tax agency’s offices.
“This automation has reduced leakages in the system. By just clicking on the particular tax icon, a taxpayer can pay Withholding Tax, Stamp Duty Tax, and so on,” Adams said.
The Executive Chairman also pointed out that Governor Uba Sani’s administration has widened the tax net without increasing taxes in Kaduna State.
He added that KADIRS has been horizontally expanding the tax net since July last year, as against the vertical approach of the past which led to stagnation.
The KADIRS Executive Chairman also maintained that the overall policies of the Kaduna State Government helped significantly in improving its IGR.
“The policies of the Uba Sani administration have human face and this has made businesses and companies that have left Kaduna State in the past, to return. Coupled with that, he has initiated a lot of business-friendly policies which are having a positive impact on revenue generation,’’ he said.
Adams also said that the rural transformation of the Kaduna State Government has improved voluntary tax compliance “because people can see how their money is being spent”.
“Our motto is ‘Tax For Service’ and the present administration has demonstrated this by the laudable projects that it is embarking on, in the areas of road construction, building new schools, and other projects,” the KADIRS boss said.
The Executive Chairman called on the people of Kaduna State to pay their taxes as and when due, especially property tax and ground rents, adding that companies should also remit Pay As You Earn Taxes promptly.
He said that KADIRS has the potential to improve its tax collection and boost the IGR of Kaduna State given the support that it is getting from the Governor.