The Gombe State Internal Revenue Service has promised to improve its services to increase its Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.
Speaking in Gombe during the presentation of an Award by the Chairman of Revenue Magazine, Mr. Inuwa Tata, Chairman Gombe Internal Revenue Service said before the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the state was earning about 500 million naira monthly in IGR, which included the state PayE, Local Government and SUBEB. But during Governor Yahaya’s administration, 716 million naira was being realised monthly, including the state PayE, Local Government, SUBEB and Local Education Authority.
“From January to August 2021 on the average, we have 786 million naira, including the payE. We will continue to improve to ensure the number keeps growing,” he said.
“However, with what we have seen from the Revenue Service in the last few years, it is not the effort of the executive chairman alone,” he stated.
He said the award was dedicated to the entire staff of the service, who have worked day and night to enhance improved revenue of Gombe State.
He gave an assurance of the integrity of the members of staff in ensuring that all government revenue goes to government coffer.
“I want to assure you that the numbers will be bigger than the number you are seeing even though our increment is five percent yearly…,” he said.
Handing the award to Tata, Chairman of the Revenue Magazine, Mr. Frederick Apeji, said the annual Nigerian States IGR awards programme was designed to encourage and foster a healthy competition among the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT.
“With the good will and support of the Board of Internal Revenue of the 36 States and the FCT. We also seek the involvement of other key government agencies and bodies for the event,”Mr. Akpeji said.
He said Mr. Tata was honoured for producing many victories in IGR of Gombe State, despite the internal unrests that Gombe state faced in recent times and the challenges on revenue collection across the state.
Mr. Akpeji commended the Chairman of the Gombe State Revenue service as one of the winners of the Revenue Magazine Excellence in IGR Award in 2020/2021, where the state came the 6th fastest growing state in IGR in 2020, growing its collections by 25.5% from 6.80 billion naira in 2019 to 8.54billion naira in the past year.
“This is the basis for honouring the state with this award, to spur it to greater heights in the years ahead,” Mr. Akpeji said.
Collective efforts
The Chairman of the Gombe State Revenue Service attributed the successes recorded in the increase in IGR to collective efforts of the staff of the Revenue Service, thereby commending them for making it a success.
Mr. Tata has supported the Federal Government’s move on the collection of Value Added Tax, VAT.
“Gombe State, like you know stands with the Federal Government. Before now, what we have in place is sell tax of 1986. The same tax was promulgated under the military rule, it is what is in operation. So, when we have Value Added Tax, only one institution collects on behalf of the 36 states and the FCT,which is the Federal Inland Revenue Service. It remits it to tax poll account where it’s proceeds is distributed across the federating unit; Federal, State and Local Governments,” he said.
Mr Tata encouraged the government of Nigeria to continue the collection of taxes as proposed and share it to the federating unit.
Lateefah Ibrahim
