Gov Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State
Abia moves to end zero IGR in local councils
[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]
Abia Government has inaugurated a technical committee to work out revenue collection modalities that would end the phenomenon of zero Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) being recorded by some local government areas of the state.
The Committee, known as Local Government Area Revenue Technical Working Committee is also charged with the task of harmonizing revenue collection between the state and local government areas and eradicate double taxation as well as illegal revenue drive at the grassroots.
Deputy Governor, Sir Use Oko Chukwu, while inaugurating the Committee at Government House, Umuahia, said the Committee should fashion out a revenue regime that would not create problems and confusion for the citizenry and government since every revenue collection would be done transparently.
Sir Oko Chukwu charged the Committee made up of the Deputy Chairmen of the 17 local government areas in the state to ensure that there was no double taxation, embarrassment, desperate and confusing competition in revenue collection from the citizenry.
The Deputy Governor who is the Chairman of the State’s Internally-Generated Revenue Council, also stressed the need for the Committee to put an end to zero revenue being recorded by some local governments in the area of internal revenue generation.
He further reminded the Committee that the state could only top the LGA revenue generation chart in the country through the collaboration of both the state and the LGAs.
He directed all the LGAs to key into the Abia State Social Identity Number (ABSSIN) and Abia 1- Serve platforms which would cost the councils nothing.
He explained enrolment into the platforms by the Councils would make it easy to validate any document coming from Abia State through the Abia General Service Request platform.
The Deputy Governor expressed confidence that partnership between the State and the LGAs in the envisage new revenue regime would be of immense benefit to the state and charged the Committee members to be dedicated in their assignment to be able to achieve the objective for which they were inaugurated.
Coordinator of Abia State Economic Advancement Team, Chief Mac Atasie, expressed hope that the inauguration of the Committee would bring double taxation, illegal revenue collection and zero records for LGA in IGR to and end.
Atasie expressed optimism that the outcome of the Committee’s work would boost Abia IGR, among others.
Responding on behalf of the Committee, the Deputy Chairman of Abia North LGA, Lady Joy Iwuchukwu, thanked the state government for finding them worthy for the job and promised that they would not betray the confidence reposed in them.
Top government officials and revenue generation stakeholders witnessed the inauguration.
