Enugu State’s Internally Generated Revenue has increased to 5 billion Naira monthly, following the introduction of various disruptive innovations, according to Mr. Ekene Nnamani, the chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service.
Nnamani noted that these innovations align with Governor Peter Mbah’s campaign promise to implement “disruptive innovations” in his administration’s policies.
Highlighting the achievements of the ESIRS under his leadership over the past year, Nnamani stated that the complete transition to e-ticketing, the elimination of manual collection, and the consolidation of revenue sources have resulted in the service collecting N35.9 billion within the first seven months of 2024— up from N33.9 billion generated during in 2023.
He explained that in his first year in office, they successfully addressed the knowledge gap in Enugu’s tax collection system and introduced various payment gateways to streamline tax payments in the state and make it more efficient and eliminate downtime.
Nnamani said, “We embraced digitalization and expanded the payment gateways from one to six. Now, residents can pay their taxes through various platforms such as Interswitch, e-transact, Remita, MoniePoint, and Flutterwave, making it easier for them to pay from the comfort of their homes.
“We started with e-ticketing for the informal sector tax, which was a game-changer. We have collected over N2.3 billion from this initiative. Previously, few people paid the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax because the formal and informal sectors were mixed, similar to the situation with withholding taxes. Some payments that should have gone to the state were incorrectly sent to the federal government.
“With a human face, we have reactivated the capital gains tax in the Housing and Lands ministries, ensuring that tax must be paid for every consent, thereby broadening the base for tax collection.
“For the Land Use Charge, we introduced GIS technology for real-time updates. We have ensured that landlords pay taxes and that all payments can be made online, using quick teller or Remita.
“Keke operators now pay N350 per day. After that, there are no more sanitation levy payments, union dues, or local government dues for them because all fees are consolidated within the e-ticket system and they can operate anywhere in the state with just that one ticket.
“Even in the formal sector, we provide a single demand notice to simplify the process of doing business. Tax clearance certificates are issued within 24 hours and can be received via email. All revenue is tracked through a unified visual platform.”
Nnamani further disclosed that the Community Tax program has not been activated yet, as awareness campaigns are still underway.
“We have streamlined tax collection with local governments, ensuring that what is due to them at the end of each month is promptly transferred, eliminating racketeering and double taxation in our markets.
“With these efforts and many more in full implementation, Enugu State has collected N35.9 billion in the last seven months of 2024, compared to N33.9 billion collected last year. This results in an average of N5 billion per month.”
