By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Chairman of the newly inaugurated Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, Taskforce for Revenue , Monitoring , Inspection and Enforcement, Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf has warned that all fake revenue collectors who parade as AMAC staff caught defrauding AMAC would henceforth be dragged to court.
Yusuf issued this warning after the official inauguration of the Taskforce by the AMAC Chairman, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu at the Secretariat yesterday.
He warned all fake revenue collectors who parade as AMAC representatives receiving cash and those paying cash to individuals will be prosecuted, adding the mandate of the Taskforce is to block all leakages.
“We will protect the revenue of AMAC taxpayers. We want an AMAC that whatever you are paying as revenue, would work for the people, we can no longer condone a situation whereby our revenue is diverted into private pockets.”
“We want to warn clearly that anyone who goes about saying he is representing AMAC collecting revenue without permission for AMAC or that is collaborating with illegal revenue collectors by paying less in cash and short-changing AMAC, you will pay twice and still be prosecuted.”
Yusuf advised residents to always pay into AMAC account and demand notice, adding any demand notice which does not have AMAC account is wrong.
He further disclosed that the Taskforce will go around to see evidence of revenue payment to enhance satisfactory service delivery to the people.
Meanwhile, AMAC Taskforce Legal Advisor, Ndudi Ezekiel Chidi said that payment of revenue has been harmonized, because extortions were the order of the day.
Ezekiel said the new AMAC effected some changes in the demand notices because of illegalities in the previous administration, which allowed people to pay revenue into private pockets.
He disclosed that Maikalangu, has harmonized the terms of ensuring all money meant to be paid into banks is collected by a revenue consultant, adding that the new change is applicable to hotels, filling stations and banks.
We are poised to deliver dividends of democracy to people that pay this tax, Chidi promised.
