Kaduna targets N2 billion monthly revenue

Governor of Kaduna State, Mukhtar Yero, has disclosed the state's target of about N2 billion monthly as internally generated revenue (IGR) from this year.

Yero disclosed this in Kaduna at the opening session of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) State Sensitisation Workshop on the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).

He said that the improvement in IGR collection would enable the state government to provide social amenities and basic infrastructure to the people.

'There are so many challenges for the state in trying to improve its internally generated revenue.

'We were generating an average of N240 million to N270 million. When I became the commissioner for finance, we made concerted efforts to improve the revenue by even giving incentives to move up to N789 million to N800 million.

'But things have changed, we thought it should be up to N2 billion now since I am part of it; I know how it is, so I am not going to tolerate the decline.

'It is our hope that tax evasion would reduce through TIN and it would enable taxpayers to pay their taxes promptly.

'Multiple taxation has been hindering flow of investment in the states, I believe this new initiative would address it.

'Tax is obligatory for all taxable people because government needs additional revenue for basic social amenities, we want to improve our revenue with regularly paid taxes,

'Citizens can only hold government responsible when they pay their taxes regularly,'' said the governor.

According to him, strategies were being put in place to block tax revenue leakages as well as improve tax collection for the development of the state.

Besides, Yero said that the government was also making efforts to address tax evasion and multiple taxation to achieve the objective.

The governor said that the state had approved the payment of its counterpart contribution to the Joint Tax Board (JTB).

He urged the JTB to involve the states in whatever they were doing, to ensure effective participation.