By Christian Njoku

The Cross River State Internal Revenue Service (CRIRS) has disclosed plans to scale up the state’s monthly revenue generation to N10 billion.

Mr Edwin Okon, the Chairman, CRIRS, said at a two-day Half-Year Review Session in Calabar on Friday that the plan would take effect from January 2026.

Okon said that the agency would leverage newly assented federal tax laws to achieve the target.

He said that CRIRS had already recorded significant progress, with a 39.7 per cent increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2024.

“Between January and June 2025, we have generated about N27 billion, compared to N19 billion recorded at the same period in 2024.

“If we maintain this trajectory, we expect to surpass our annual target of N43.9 billion and achieve between N54 billion and N60 billion by the end of the year,” he said.

The revenue service official said that automation of tax processes and support from the state government were helpful in the achievements recorded.

“In my two years in office, the governor has never interfered with my job. This has helped us to achieve remarkable results,” he said.

The chairman said that the tax reform policies of the Federal Government would alleviate the burden of low-income Nigerians.

He said that the state revenue service has taken proactive steps towards curbing revenue leakages and successfully integrating state-owned institutions into the revenue collection system.

On his part, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Mike Odere, urged the state Ministries of Lands and Housing to increase their revenue performance in line with the state’s infrastructure investments.

“We are imputing a lot of cash into reforms across sectors such as lands and housing, we expect them to triple their revenue targets to justify these investments,” Odere added.

In his speech, the Head of Service, Mr Innocent Eteng, said that the state must be strategically positioned to benefit from the new tax laws while effectively managing its abundant natural resources. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by EhigimetorIgbaugba and Azubuike Okeh