The executive secretary of Kaduna Internal Revenue Generation, KADIRS, Jerry Adams, has attributed the rankings of Kaduna State as the state with the highest internally generated revenue, IGR, in the North to the reforms introduced in tax administration by the current administration.
Recall that a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, shows that the state raked in N62.49 billion in 2023, emerging as the state with the highest IGR earnings in the region.
Speaking to journalists during the weekend, Mr Adams said the feat is a result of the Governor Uba Sani administration’s policy of financial inclusion and widening the tax net, as well as the reorganisation of the KADIRS.
He said the governor has automated tax administration and provided 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,” Mr Adams said.
Mr Adams disclosed that KADIRS has been expanding the tax net in a horizontal manner since July last year, as opposed to the vertical approach of the past, which led to stagnation.
He 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 a 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.
Mr 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,” he added.
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 of improving on its tax collection and boosting the IGR of Kaduna State, given the support that it is getting from the governor.
