The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS)on Wednesdaysaid it generated N6.6 billion as Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) in the first quarter of 2017.

The Executive Chairman of the service, Dr Muritala Awodun,announced this in Ilorin at the quarterly briefing of the agency.

Awodun explained that the figure was a significant improvement from the N3.4 billion generated in the firstquarter of 2016.

Breaking down the figure, the chairman stated that the service generated N2.1 billion in January; N1.7 billion in February and N2.7 billion in March.

According to him, the increment in revenue generation was as a result of theintensified effort of the service as well as the cooperation received fromtax payers by officials of the state revenue service.

He explained that the service had not introduced a new tax policy, but only intensified tax collection as wellas ensured the blockage ofdetected revenue leakages.

Speaking on the takeover of revenue collection from local governments, Awodun said that N100 million was generated for the councils for the three months under review.

“This is the amount all the council would generate in a year before we took over last April.

“We generated N240 million for them last year and from the look of things, we should be able to generate more than that by the close of December this year.

“This is withthe exception of 10 per cent that the state government remits to them every month. The state government has not failed in this regard.”

The chairman also disclosed that work was in the pipeline to automate the collection of revenue in the state to reduce leakages.

Awodun further said that the state hosted the 137th meeting of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) in the first quarterwhere stakeholders applauded the reform in tax process in the state. (NAN)