Stakeholders have said that Nigeria’s path to stronger public finance hinges not only on new taxes, but more on how tax authorities are run, citing Lagos’ 2025 revenue total of N1.7 trillion, influenced by its tax autonomy model.

They stated this at the gala night organised to close the 159th meeting of the Joint Revenue Board (JRB), urging other states to take a cue from Lagos’ resolve to boost compliance levels and deliver worthy dividends to citizens.

The event brought together tax administrators and revenue stakeholders from across the country, who gathered for four days to deliberate on ways to chart development for tax systems, administration and revenue growth.

The JRB coordinates tax administration and drives tax reforms across Nigeria’s federal and state tax authorities.

Speaking, Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Ayodele Subair stressed that the independence of tax authorities remains the engine of fiscal growth, asserting that the service’s independence from political interference has been central to the state’s performance.

“We have been allowed to operate independently, to hire the best staff possible and to carry out our statutory mandate without any form of interference,”he said.

Subair stated that the impact of the state’s earnings was already visible in public investment, adding that the state covered 60 per cent of its capital expenditure, pointing to progress in transport corridors, bridges and schools as evidence of how tax receipts are converted to economic assets.

Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr. Olusegun Adesokan, said Lagos is a working template for wider reforms, attributing the state’s status to the legacy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, during his tenure as Lagos governor, granted LIRS operational autonomy.

Adesokan said while other states have replicated this model, governors must resist the temptation of using revenue boards as instruments of patronage.

“JTB has continued to play a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s tax system, driven by professionalism, collaboration and institutional memory. Results are guaranteed when institutions, not individuals, anchor policy execution,” he said. (THISDAY)