The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) has made a record collection of D3,324,715, 926.74 from January to December 2007, exceeding the target of D3,031,895, 004.00 set by  government.

According to sources at the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, the collection was made jointly by the two divisions -Customs and Income Tax - under the revenue authority.

Customs reportedly collected D1,898,754,182.02 while Income Tax netted D1,425,987,744.72.

Established by an act of parliament in 2004 and starting full operation in January 2007, the authority has all along been fulfiling its mandate of maximising revenue collection for the Gambia's economy.

An economic analyst held that this performance impacts positively on the country's economy in the face of looming challenges confronting global economy.

"The president and his government should be commended for the foresight in establishing a body whose performances have impressed multilateral financial institution like the IMF and the World Bank, thus, earning The Gambia a debt relief," the analyst said.