By Peter Duru – Makurdi

Benue state government has resolved to send a bill to the State Assembly to amend the state’s revenue laws in order to plug the loopholes that have created room for revenue leakages.

This was part of the resolutions reached Tuesday at the end of the Revenue Generation Stakeholders Meeting held in Makurdi attended by traditional rulers, Local Government Council Chairmen, lawmakers, officials of the Benue Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, political leaders, the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, and presided over by Governor Samuel Ortom.

Declaring the meeting open, Governor Ortom who expressed dismay at the rate at which revenue meant for the state government was being diverted through illegal collections and multiple taxations by several unapproved groups said there was dire need for the state to improve on its Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.

At the end of its deliberation the stakeholders in their communique which was signed by Governor Ortom, the SSG, Prof. Anthony Ijohor and the State Assembly Speaker, Mr. Titus Uba resolved among others that henceforth all revenues collected by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, of government must be paid into the State Consolidated Revenue Fund as specified by law.

Part of the resolution read, “Local Government Chairmen must desist henceforth from multiple taxations in their council areas, which is discouraging traders from coming into Benue State to buy produce which has led to waste and decline in the IGR base of the State. 

“Some MDAs who have formed the habit of diverting monies collected from, Pay As You Earn, PAYE, should desist from this unwholesome practice as it contravenes the State Revenue generation laws.

“Illegal revenue collection checkpoints should be dismantled forthwith as any person or group of persons caught operating such illegal revenue collection checkpoints shall be punished. 

“That the Office of the SSG should convene a meeting between the BIRS and Local Government Chairmen to know the revenue items accruing to local Government and State in order to streamline the collection of same.”

The meeting also resolved that any person irrespective of how highly placed, who violates the Revenue Law should be sanctioned accordingly.