Support Harmonized State And Local Governments Revenue Law To Increase Collections- Etsu Charge Stakeholders
The Albino Foundation Public Notice
The Executive Chairman, Niger State Internal Revenue, Mohammed Madami Etsu, has called on stakeholders to support the state and local governments Revenue Law of 2020 geared at revamping the economy and improving the quality of peoples livelihood.
In a statement signed by the executive chairman in minna, he explained that the law was initiated based on pressing economic issues because of the dwindling revenue of the State and Local Governments and the need to improve development in the state.
According to him Government is committed to delivering the dividends of Democracy to Nigerlites in the area of security, social services, and prompt payments of salaries to civil servants among others.
Etsu stated that the law is not meant to operate in isolation but to complement other existing revenue laws as provided in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
Others include, the Personal Income Tax Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 as amended and the Niger State Revenue Collection and Administration Law 2011.
The Chairman, Mohammed Etsu says, ‘This harmonized legislation of 2020, is not meant to usurp the powers of the Local Government Council’s to collect revenue in their areas of jurisdiction as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, but to create a Synergy between the State and the 25 Local Government Councils in a collective revenue drive.”.
“This will reduce the incidence of multiple taxation, increase the assessment and collection capacities and boost the quantum of Internally Generated Revenue for both tiers of Government’.
The State Internal Revenue Service according to the statement has set up an implementation committee under the leadership of Alhaji Mohammed Murtala King, the coordinator of Revenue matters, and has since commenced touring all the 25 local government councils for sensitization of stakeholders, training of revenue staff and deployment of technology for immediate take off.
In a pilot exercise conducted with Bosso Local Government, tremendous increase in its IGR collections has been noticed due to the deployment of technology in the revenue collection efforts and has encouraged transparency and accountability in the system.
It will be recalled that Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state signed the harmonized bill passed by the state house of assembly into law on 22nd September, 2020 which repeal the local government harmonized rates and levies for collection, 2016.
