COVID-19: Kwara rues effect of lockdown on IGR

Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

Kwara state government Thursday said that the state-at-home order caused by COVID-19 pandemic has impacted negatively on the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state.

Speaking with reporters in Ilorin after the inauguration of technical committee for the state consolidation of revenue codes and rates, the state commissioner for Finance and Planning, Mrs. Olasumbo Oyeyemi and the executive chairman of the state Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), Mrs. Shade Omoniyi, said that the IGR had dwindled in recent time.

The duo said that the state government had identified the need to restrategize its finances and revenue generation modules when normalcy returns, adding that the state is currently aligning its spendings with available resources in the face of dwindling IGR and allocation from Abuja.

They said that operators of informal sectors, who are expected to generate bulk of the revenue to the state government’s coffers, are affected by the lockdown and stay-at-home directives of the government aimed at checking spread of the pandemic.

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They added that revenue generated from pay as you earn (PAYE) of the civil servants could not allow the agency to meet up with its average monthly target of N2.6 billion.

Speaking on the technical committee, the KWIRS boss, Mrs. Omoniyi said that the objective of the technical committee is to produce a comprehensive and consolidated codes and rates for all the revenue (taxes, levies, fees and rates) collected by the state government and accordingly ensure its enactment.

She stated that the purpose of the exercise is to demonstrate fiscal transparency and accountability to the people of Kwara State, which is the core objective of the SFTAS program.

In essence, what it means is that, “people know exactly what to pay for and where to pay to” which makes revenue rates uniform with no hidden charges. Mrs. Shade Omoniyi stated that the task at hand is a weighty one and would require the cooperation of all the MDAs as well as the House of Assembly for its enactment. Thus, she implored all MDAs with revenue heads to cooperate with the Committee’s purpose for a better and transparent Kwara State.