…Eliminate fake tax collectors from Abuja
By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
In a bid to harmonize revenue collection and ease of doing business in the FCT, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the Internal Revenue Service, FCT-IRS, has announced a template for a synergizing collection of revenue that would eliminate gangsters and other unauthorized activities from the system.
The FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja announced that the template will eliminate gangsters and other technical partners in the process.
The template reads, “To this end, the FCT-IRS is to collect and report in the following areas: Business Premises, Shops and Kiosk levy, Food and Water related Handling Permit, Park & Pay/Street Parking, Wrong Parking Charges, Market Taxes, Levies and Charges, Hotels, Restaurants, and Event Centers Consumption Tax.
Also, areas where the FCTA only has statutory collection responsibilities that were delegated to the FCT-IRS include: Environment fee or levy, Waste Management Charges, Sewage
Connections, Environmental Impact/ Assessment Charges, howsoever described; Outdoor Advertisements, Mobile Advert and Signages, howsoever
described; Telecommunication Mast and Communication Equipment, howsoever described and any other Revenue Heads to be so agreed occasionally by the FCTA.
However, Ground Rents, Tenement Rate and other Land Related Charges, howsoever described, should be integrated into the Property Tax etc. Gaming and Betting, howsoever described, and any other Revenue Heads to be so agreed from time to time by the Joint Revenue Committee of the FCT.
“The initiative received impetus in 2021 when concerted efforts were made to address the disjointed revenue collection arrangements in the Territory.”
Four Retreat and Colloquial sessions were held in the effort to enable us advance to the desirable Phase of harmonized revenue collection in the Federal Capital Territory, Adesola disclosed.
Furthermore, he explained that the process started in 2021 when the FCT Administration resumed active engagement with the six Area Councils, Secretariats, Departments, and Agencies of FCT Administration involved in revenue collection and the FCT-IRS being the core stakeholders with the view to achieving a harmonized revenue collection outcome.
“The series of engagements and consultations culminated to the “Stakeholders ‘Resolution Retreat on the Harmonization of Revenue and Ease of Doing Business in the Federal Capital Territory” convened and held at Akure the Ondo State capital from the 11th to 14th of May 2023.”
“The overarching outcome of the Stakeholders Resolution Retreat, the ‘Akure Accord’ is the phasing out of technical partners from direct collection of revenues by Area Councils.”
Acting Executive Chairman, FCT Internal Revenue Service, Haruna Abdullahi, explained that the goal of the Revenue Service is to harmonize revenue collection and facilitate ease of doing business, to accelerate growth and development in the FCT.
Abdullahi said,“This is not a task we undertake lightly, and we recognize the challenges that lie ahead. However, we are committed to overcoming these obstacles and transforming our collective vision into a reality.”
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