FIRS Attains 79% of 2018 Budget Target

Abia uses Paris Club refund to clear salaries Our achievements are there for all to see, Buhari replies Jonathan

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has disclosed that it has achieved through tax collection 79 per cent of the N4.9 trillion budget for 2018.

The disclosure was made yesterday by the Chairman of FIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, while fielding questions from journalists at the conference organised by Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for media handlers of states’ chief executives.

Fowler said FIR and all its affiliated agencies, including the Joint Tax Board (JTB), would attain 100 per cent of its tax revenue target by December 31.

He lauded the JTB headed by its Executive Secretary, Chief Oseni Salawe Elamah, for ensuring efficiency and transparency in tax collection across all tiers of government.

Fowler said in trying to make tax collections more efficient, FIRS had introduced technology which would enable all tax payers to make any tax payments anywhere in the world, including downloading tax receipts and appointing tax collectors online.

“We are trying our best to make collection more efficient through cutting-edge technology. We are doing our best to make sure tax due goes into government coffers. And at the last count, we have hit 79 per cent of budget and before December 31, we will achieve 100 per cent of the budget target of N4.9trillion, “Fowler said.

Meanwhile, the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has disclosed that the state has deployed the first and second tranches of the Paris Club refund in clearing the outstanding salaries of the state workers.

The state Deputy Governor, Ude Oko Chukwu, who stood in for Ikpeazu, at the Conference, said the state got N16.3 billion as Paris Club Fund and N14.2 billion as federal government bail-out fund.

He said the government implemented a recommendation of a report of a labour committee drawn from Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and Joint National Congress (JNC) that 100 per cent of the received funds from the Paris Club Fund money should be devoted to salary payment.

According to him, the government has generated N600 million per month through the reduction of the monthly salary bill of N2.8 billion to N2.6 billion.

The deputy governor added that following the discovery of 16 sub-treasuries used for sharp practices and as conduit pipe to pay ghost workers, including 131 teachers, who were collecting retirement benefits while still in active service.

He said the illegal payment to the teachers saved the state N493million, adding that the government had now resolved to convert the money as gratification to the teachers that received the payment after retirement.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari said his administration has recorded concrete achievements which are there for all to see, contrary to the opposition’s statement that the administration is running on propaganda and lies.

Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the assertion at the opening of the two-day Conference for Media Handlers of States’ Chief Executives.

Providing facts and figures, the president listed the administration achievements in ending subsidy and yet ensuring the availability of petroleum products; in raising power generation, transmission and distribution, massive provision of infrastructure; in tackling insecurity and making a success of the agriculture revolution among others.

‘’Those who accused this administration of ‘ propaganda and lies’ in the fuel supply sector, for example, did not tell Nigerians that whereas they paid between 800 billion and N1.3 trillion as ‘subsidy’ yearly in their time, without making the products available even at regulated prices, this administration is not paying any subsidy, yet all products are currently available at competitive prices and fuel queues are now history. In their time, they paid subsidy of N3.7 billion daily in 2011; N2.2 billion daily in 2012 and 2013, and N2.5 billion daily in 2014, all for products that were never available.

‘’Those who accused this government of ‘propaganda and lies’ also said we have not achieved anything in the power sector. Comment is free, facts are sacred, as they say. When this administration assumed office on 29 May 2015, available power on the grid totalled 2,690MW, transmission capacity was around 5,000MW and distribution capacity was 4,000MW.”

He added: ‘’As at September 4, 2017, the available power that can be put on the grid was 6,619MW; the transmission capacity was simulated at 6,700 MW (up from 5,000 MW in 2015) but the distribution capacity was 4,600 MW, which was what was put on the grid. On September 12, 2017, production of power reached an all-time level of 7,001MW,’’ he said

President Buhari said it is an irony that those who presided over a budget of N18 billion for roads, N5 billion for power and N1.8 billion for Housing in 2015 are now accusing those who spent N198.25 billion on roads N91.2 billion on power and N71.559 billion on housing in the following year of non-achievement?

‘’Because of the increased spending in these areas, the massive debts owed to contractors are being settled so they can recall workers who were laid off and re-open closed work sites. As a matter of fact, during the implementation of the 2016 budget, we paid 103 construction companies executing 192 projects, and they, in turn, employed 17,749 people directly and 52,000 people indirectly in works.

‘’So far this year, N47.169 billion has been paid to 62 contractors working on 149 projects to continue work on roads and bridges and keep people at work. Similar payments are being made to supervising consultants and to contractors in Housing and Power sectors of the Ministry,’’ he said.

The president also highlighted the achievements that have been recorded by his administration in the area of the economy, wondering whether it is ‘propaganda and lies’ that headline Inflation has now fallen for the eighth consecutive month; that foreign exchange reserves are up to $32 billion, from $24 billion a year ago: that oil production is at nearly two million barrels per day and that Home-grown School Feeding Programme now being implemented in 17 states is benefiting more than three million public primary school children and more than 30,000 cooks across 20,000 schools.

‘’If our achievements are based on ‘propaganda and lies’, as they claim, why is our agricultural revolution achieving so much success?”