The loss of N116 billion in tax income by state governments in Nigeria over the course of two years has been accompanied by setbacks.
According to statistics from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, the tax income of thirteen states decreased by 27.5% between 2019 and 2021, from N423 billion to N30 billion.
The damage affected all six geopolitical zones. Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Abia, Ogun, and Rivers were the southern Nigerian states that had a revenue deficit.
In addition to Kano, Sokoto, Yobe, Niger, Benue, and Jigawa, other northern states fell inside the tax revenue gap between 2019 and 2022.
Enugu State’s tax income decreased by 27.4% from N21.9 billion in 2019 to N15.71 billion in 2021.
Additionally, Akwa Ibom State’s income decreased by N3.7 billion from N30.9 billion in 2019 to N27.2 billion in 2021. Bayelsa, on the other hand, saw a N3.6 billion deficit in tax income from N16.1 billion in 2019 to 12.5 billion in 2021.
Meanwhile, Cross River’s tax income decreased by 6.2% from N19 billion in 2019 to N18 billion in 2021. Abia State lost N2.5 billion between 2019 and 2021, from N8.97 billion to N6.5 billion.
Ogun State, governed by Dapo Abiodun, had its income decrease by N15.23 billion to N36.7 billion from N51.9 billion two years prior. Rivers State’s tax income decreased by N176.7 million from N115.91 billion in 2019 to N115.73 billion in 2022.
Mala Buni’s Yobe State lost N127 million in income, from N7 billion in 2019 to N6.1 billion in 2019. Sokoto State’s tax income decreased by 13.2% from N17.73 billion in 2019 to N15.38 billion in 2021.
Between 2019 and 2021, Kano State, which is headed by Abdullah Ganduje, lost N7.92bn in tax revenue, from N31.98bn to N21.06bn. Jigawa State saw a 13.21% decrease from N7 billion in 2019 to N6.1 billion in 2021.