Reps probe N9.6bn shortfall in FCT revenue

By Tordue Salem

ABUJA—The House of Representatives Committee on Finance is investigating N9.6billion shortfall in the total revenue generated for the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, as inland taxes by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.

The Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Rep. John Enoh(PDP/Obubra/Cross River), at a 2009 budget defence session of the Ministry, displayed copies claiming that what the FIRS collected as taxes for the Ministry in 2009, was N17.669billion.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Goke Adegoroye however differed, insisting that the entire revenue for the year 2009 in the records of the Ministry was N12.0billion.

A member of the Committee Rep. Gbenga Onigbogi (PDP/Ilesha/Osun State), in his rebuttal described the submission of Adegoroye as “Very far from the truth”, adding that “I don’t want to use harsher adjectives” on the matter .

The Ministry  however  admitted after the Committee members bombarded it with irrefutable facts, that “We are not saying the figures quoted by the committee are wrong”, but the Permanent Secretary however, could not explain why the revenue collected did not reflect in the Ministry’s 2010 budget proposals.