Agitation by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to increase its revenue base through the establishment of a revenue board received a boost yesterday, as the Senate committee on FCT charged the administration to expedite action on the setting up of the board.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi who led other members of the committee on a visit to the administration yesterday said it would give legal backing to the move by the FCT as the board when in place would block revenue leakages and boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) profile of the administration.
The board, when finally in place will also help to block all leakages in revenue collection from area councils that have been found dubious in the collection of taxes and tenement rates.
Adeyemi noted that with the slash in the 2011 statutory Budget of the FCT, there was need to seek alternative ways of generating revenue in order to develop and finance some of the on-going projects in the city.
He said in order to boost the IGR of the FCT, all bills, such as the Property Bill, the Resettlement and Compensation Bills, the Abuja Geographic Information System Acts? among others pending before the National Assembly would be passed as soon as possible, to give legislative backing to them as with the legislative backing, residents would be able to pay taxes on property in the city, to boost the IGR.
“The agencies have been operating illegally without proper legislative backing, they have been collecting revenues illegally since they have not being backed by the law, and there is the need to strengthen them,” he said
The committee chairman further said that more funds must be appropriated to the Department of Development Control to enable it function effectively and decongest the city of slums and illegal shanties that were springing up every day.
“Beggars and miscreants are increasing in the city daily, our BRT scheme is not functional yet, we don’t have licensed taxis yet, our educational facilities have been jam-packed, there is need to generate more funds to put some of these things in place through the revenue board.
“Lagos is working because most of these things are in place, anybody that erects property in Lagos is made to pay tax, nobody is above the law, I wish Fashola can decamp to our party to also make some things work,” he said.
In his response, the minister directed the Permanent Secretary of the administration, Nathaniel Olorunfemi, to work out modalities for the establishment of the revenue board within one week.
Mohammed said since Abuja was no man’s land with about 1000 persons entering the city on a daily basis, there was need to inject fresh ideas to move the city forward.