… rakes N7.7bn in 4months
By Matthew Denis
The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) has stopped prosecuting tax defaulters in the state in the ‘spirit of Ramadan’.
The agency has also raked in the total sum of N7.7 billion as revenue generated between January to April 2018.
The Executive Chairman of KWIRS, Dr. Muritala Awodun made these known during a press briefing held at the Ministry of Information and Communication, Ilorin on Wednesday.
He said that for the sake of the holy month of Ramadan the agency has stopped taking corporate organisations that are not tax compliant to court.
“KWIRS feels it’s holy month and for the respect we have for the month we have stopped taking corporate organisations and people who do not comply with the tax rules to court.
On the revenue generated he said, “The sum of N2.2billion was generated for the month of January, N2.3billion for February, N1.8billion for March and N1.29billion for April making a total of N7.7billion as against the total sum of N11billion targeted for the first quarter of the year.”
He pointed out that the generated revenue represent 70per cent performance by the agency, adding that it is a minimal increase from the N7.4bn it realised at the same period in 2017.
Awodun stated that if the agency could rake in four to five billion naira monthly, the state will be able to survive, adding that Kwara still augument the federal allocation with what is generated by the agency.
“Kwara has not grown to the level whereby it won’t have to rely on federal allocation. But, if we can generate 4 to 5 billion naira monthly we can survive without allocation from federal,” he explained.
The KWIRS boss who noted that the Internally Generated Revenue budget for the agency for 2018 was N38 billion but the state government had to review it down to N33bn to make it more reliable.
The chairman, however, enumerated some of the agency’s community impact activities within the first quarter to include: “renovation of marriage registry, distribution of books to pupils of schools in the Kwara North senatorial district and clearing of drainages around Tanke area
It include; contribution of endowment funds to the forthcoming convocation of the Kwara State University, Malete and donation of vehicle to the National Union Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
Others according to him are “Sponsorship of symposium at KWASU, donation of borehole to Ifelodun community in Alagbado area, as well as clearing drainage at Yoruba road market.”
