The Lagos State Government on Monday said it is working towards actualizing a monthly internally generated revenue target of N30billion by next year.
The Commissioner for Information, Steve Ayorinde, who made this known in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday, said Lagos State was currently generating N24.5 billion monthly as IGR.
According to him, Governor Akinwumi Ambode had already set N30 billion as the target to be generated monthly with effect from next year to run the affairs of the state.
Mr. Ayorinde said: “As at today, 71 per cent of this year`s budget for the state comes from IGR.
“Direct taxes will constitute between 60 per cent and 65 per cent of the targeted figure.
“We will use technology in our revenue generation drive, particularly, as it affects the land use charge.
“Land is the gold of Lagos State and, therefore, it is important for the state to capture those properties yet to be captured”.
The commissioner said there was an estimated two million homes in the state but that less than a million of them had been paying the land use charge.
Mr. Ayorinde said the state government would engage the services of experts to capture all those that were yet to key in into its tax drive so as to boost its IGR.
He also recalled that Gov. Ambode at a town hall meeting in Badagry recently, said that the state budget would hit a trillion-naira mark within the next two years.
He said, “We are also optimistic that within three years’ time, Lagos State will not be relying on federal allocations before it fulfills its electoral promises to its electorate”.
(NAN)
