Cross River State Government has made significant progress in internal revenue, with a 21.6% increase between May and June 2023.

Statistical data provided by the Department of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Cross River Internal Revenue Service, revealed that Cross River recorded a 21.6% increase between May and June of 2023, with further analysis showing a 50% increase between June of 2022 and 2023 and a 59.5% increase between July of 2022 and July 2023, thereby boosting the State’s revenue profile.

The Acting Executive Chairman, Cross River Internal Revenue Service, Prince Edwin Okon, said the increase was due to tax reforms introduced to limit revenue leakage through an improved automated payment system, a harmonised tax system, and an integrated cluster system to strongly develop the tax net and employee productivity.

Prince Okon added that the result is an incentive to work harder to meet and even exceed the set goals, enough to fund public policy for the benefit of both the government and the people.

Under Prince Okon’s leadership, Cross River Revenue also achieved other successes, such as identifying and preventing revenue leaks in the state, working with security officials and the Chief Justice of the Cross River State Supreme Court to crack down on illegal checkpoints, and reopening mobile revenue courts, of which four suspects have been arraigned in court.

“There is also ongoing dialogue with the Cross River State House of Assembly on the amendment and passage of tax-related bills and laws, he disclosed.

He further revealed that the return of the Motor Licencing Authority function back to the IRS, improved staff welfare, strategic stakeholder engagements with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Niger Mills, Lafarge Africa Plc, Wilmer Oil Palm Plantation Estates, Mining operators, and Committees set up by the government, amongst other achievements, are all in the common interest of growing the economy of the State and attracting investments.