How we generated over N35.9b in seven months — Enugu IRS

The Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (Enugu IRS) has attributed its realisation of over N35.9 billion in the first seven months of 2024 to activating legally approved taxes in the state.

Chairman of the Service, Emmanuel Nnamani, identified some of the activated tax platforms as e-ticket sales, Pay-As-You-Earn collection, land use charges, withholding, capital gain, and consumption taxes, among others.

He added that the government had blocked leakages in tax administration.

During an interaction with journalists in Enugu to mark his first year in office, Nnamani stated that the governor was committed to boosting the state’s internally generated revenue.

He added, “In seven months of 2024, the state has recorded N35.9 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), compared with N33.9 billion recorded for the whole of 2023. This gives us an average collection of N5 billion every month.”

Nnamani introduced e-ticketing for collecting taxes from the informal sector, capturing markets, transporters, and artisans, which he described as a disruptive means of informal sector tax collection.

He noted that previously, taxes in the informal sector were paid to non-state actors instead of the government’s coffers.

“This year, we have recorded over N2.3 billion from the informal sector, and it is an achievement,” the Enugu IRS boss said.

He further explained that the government had digitised tax collection by expanding the gateway to six platforms, including Interswitch, Remita, E-transact, portal, and Monie Point, which have facilitated the rise in tax revenues.

Nnamani also said that dormant taxes, such as Capital Gain Tax, were activated to boost IGR generation, as well as purchase taxes on hotels and support services like the sale of beer, cigarettes, and cars. Additionally, the government expanded the collection of land use charges by activating the Geographic Information System.

“We have proof that the number of properties within Enugu Metropolis and suburbs exceeds 290,000, and we want to ensure every single property owner pays land use charges,” Nnamani stated.