Lagos Outshines Rivals In VAT Race With ₦2.75 Trillion, Rivers And FCT Struggle To Catch Up

Lagos State has emerged as Nigeria’s top contributor to Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue in 2024, generating an impressive ₦2.75 trillion. This accounts for a significant 54% of the total non-import VAT revenue, according to a report by Agora Policy.

Rivers State ranked second, contributing ₦832.69 billion, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) followed in third place with ₦303.64 billion. Oyo State secured the fourth position with ₦272.41 billion, and Kano State rounded out the top five with ₦77.76 billion.

The report highlighted a stark disparity in contributions, with the remaining 33 states collectively contributing just 19% of the total VAT revenue. Their individual contributions ranged from Delta State’s ₦73.39 billion to Imo State’s ₦4.38 billion.

Agora Policy, a Nigerian think tank focused on addressing national challenges, provided the comprehensive breakdown of VAT contributions by states for 2024:

VAT Contributions by States (2024):

• Lagos: ₦2.75 trillion
• Rivers: ₦832.69 billion
• FCT: ₦303.64 billion
• Oyo: ₦272.41 billion
• Kano: ₦77.76 billion
• Delta: ₦73.39 billion
• Bayelsa: ₦64.66 billion
• Edo: ₦53.55 billion
• Anambra: ₦47.53 billion
• Akwa Ibom: ₦46.93 billion
• Adamawa: ₦42.01 billion
• Borno: ₦35.29 billion
• Niger: ₦34.84 billion
• Taraba: ₦32.37 billion
• Kwara: ₦31.51 billion
• Kaduna: ₦30.30 billion
• Ekiti: ₦29.58 billion
• Jigawa: ₦28.54 billion
• Benue: ₦26.59 billion
• Ogun: ₦26.16 billion
• Sokoto: ₦25.98 billion
• Gombe: ₦25.45 billion
• Ebonyi: ₦25.11 billion
• Kogi: ₦23.61 billion
• Plateau: ₦22.10 billion
• Katsina: ₦22.08 billion
• Yobe: ₦19.79 billion
• Bauchi: ₦19.59 billion
• Zamfara: ₦17.83 billion
• Nasarawa: ₦15.89 billion
• Enugu: ₦15.39 billion
• Osun: ₦14.79 billion
• Ondo: ₦13.80 billion
• Cross River: ₦9.36 billion
• Kebbi: ₦8.77 billion
• Abia: ₦8.68 billion
• Imo: ₦4.38 billion

The findings underscore Lagos State’s dominance in VAT contributions, reflecting its position as Nigeria’s economic hub. Meanwhile, the data highlights the need for balanced economic development across other states.