Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has disclosed that national tax revenue has risen to N21.6 trillion since the introduction of tax reforms by President Bola Tinubu.
The Governor made the announcement during the 160th edition of the Joint Revenue Board meeting, which took place in Kaduna on Wednesday. The meeting, themed around the first year of the current administration’s fiscal strategy, brought together key revenue officials from across the federation.
The reported increase in revenue comes as the federal government continues its push to reduce Nigeria’s heavy reliance on oil exports by expanding the tax base and streamlining collection processes across all tiers of government.
Revenue Harmonisation and the Joint Revenue Board
The Joint Revenue Board serves as a critical coordination mechanism between the federal government and the 36 states to ensure that tax collection is efficient and consistent. A primary objective of the board is to eliminate multiple taxation, which has historically discouraged small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and hampered foreign direct investment in Nigeria.
Governor Sani’s disclosure suggests that the reforms initiated by the Tinubu administration are yielding measurable results in terms of liquidity for the state. By synchronising tax policies, the government aims to close leakages and bring more informal sector activities into the tax net.
Nigeria has long struggled with one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world. The push for reform involves the digitalisation of tax administration, the removal of redundant tax exemptions, and the simplification of the tax code to make compliance easier for citizens and corporate entities.
The rise to N21.6 trillion reflects a broader strategic shift toward fiscal sustainability. With the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the Naira, the federal government has faced immense pressure to increase non-oil revenue to fund infrastructure projects and manage debt servicing obligations.
However, the success of these reforms depends on the ability of the government to maintain transparency in the utilisation of these funds. Public confidence in tax compliance typically increases when taxpayers can see a direct correlation between their contributions and the quality of public services, such as roads, healthcare, and security.
The Joint Revenue Board will continue to monitor the implementation of these reforms across the states to ensure that the increase in revenue does not come at the cost of over-burdening the productive sector of the economy. The next phase of the strategy involves refining the tax structures to ensure a more equitable distribution of the tax burden between high-net-worth individuals and low-income earners.
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