Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, KWIRS, generated a total sum of N19.94 billion in revenue last year, indicating an increase of about N2.5 billion over total collections of N17.4 billion in the preceding year.
The Executive Chairman of the Service, Dr. Muritala Awodun, gave this hint during a media briefing in Ilorin, the state capital.
While attributing the improved collections to the commitment of the Service to hard work, Awodun said the state revenue stood at a mere N7.2 billion before the establishment of the service in 2015.
According to him, the agency adopted multiple systematic approaches including press and praise with a view to making people willingly submit due taxes to the coffers of the state.
The tax administrator hinted that the agency would intensify advocacy through collaboration with the media in order to keep the public abreast of the agency’s operations and also to enable it surmount some of its challenges.
The KWIRS boss explained: “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 startup has been fully accomplished”, Awodun added.
In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, said the reason for the gathering was to improve synergy between the KWIRS, the media and the general public.
“The essence of the gathering is to bridge the gap between the media and KWIRS on one hand and members of the public on another”, he said.
