The Kwara State Government has collected about N8.8bn as Internally Generated Revenue between January and June.

Executive Chairman, Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, Dr. Muritala Awodun, said in Ilorin on Friday that the N8.8bn surpassed the total IGR the state government generated in 2015.

According to him, the latest development marked a remarkable improvement in IGR collection from the former average monthly of N650m before the agency was set up.

Giving details of the revenue collections, Awodun said KWIRS generated N977m in January; N1.05bn in February; N1.25bn in March; N2.07bn in April; N1.45bn in May and N1.3bn few days before the end of June.

He stated that the agency did not introduce additional revenues but only deployed competent and dedicated staff, modern technology and improved collection process.

Awodun, however, said some defaulting firms and institutions, including financial bodies, had been negotiating and reconciling their financial positions with the state government, adding that they had increased their remittances and payment.

The KWIRS boss said with the drop from N3bn monthly revenue to the state government from the Federation Account, to even less than N1bn, the improved IGR was being used to augment government revenues to a certain level.

He said, "As part of the quest to eliminate multiple taxations, the Kwara State Revenue Administration Law No. 6 of 22 June 2015 has provided for the harmonisation of collections between the state and local governments.

"There is a Joint Revenue Committee, which is made up of chairmen of all the 16 local government and the Executive Chairman, KWIRS as the Chairman of the committee.

"The KWIRS serves as consultant to collect some local government revenues on their behalf. The harmonisation has begun with KWIRS collecting only four out of all 21 legal collections collectible by local governments. Monthly collections are then remitted to each local government area as appropriate."