By OLASUNKANMI AKONI

LAGOS — Lagos State Government, yesterday, said  it generated N7 billion from land Use charge levy last year, even as it generated N192 million in the year under review from Wharf landing fees.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation, Mr. Bola Shodipo  spoke during the ministerial  briefing on the activities of the agency in the last one year as part of activities marking the seventh year of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration.

According to Shodipo, in the last one year, focus had been mainly on ensuring efficiency and fairness in the administration of Land Use Charge in the state.

He explained: “A total of 3,368 newly developed property were captured and enumerated in addition to the 642,905 property enumerated previously. This brings the total number of enumerated properties to 646,273. Apart from the enumeration of newly developed property, details of 329 other properties that were redeveloped, renovated or reconstructed were also updated. 620,243 records were billed out of 646,273 records enumerated as against 622,125 records billed in the previous year.”

On tax defaulters

The chairman of the Lagos Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler said 863 cases were filed against tax defaulters at the Lagos State High Court.

According to Fowler, “Out of the 863, 413 court orders were given. Court orders were pursued and this translated to payments into the state coffers and through this effort, the state government was able to collect about N160 million. The Agency is also working on High Net-worth individual defaulters some of them are presently being prosecuted while a lot of others have opted out of court for full compliance on their tax liabilities with the attendant penalty payments for defaulting in the first place.”

… seals 317 illegal pharmacies, 28 health facilities

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO &  GABRIEL OLAWALE

LAGOS — MEANWHILE, No fewer than 317 illegal pharmaceutical outlets and 28 health facilities in Lagos State were sealed in the last one year, aimed at protecting innocent lives as well as ridding the state of illicit health facilities and drug store operators.

This came as the state warned residents to abstain from cremating their corpse without government approval, saying “the passage of the Cremation Law 2013 does not allow citizens to cremate without government approval.”

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris and Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, disclosed this at Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja during the ministerial briefing on the activities of the ministry within the last one year as part of activities marking the seventh year of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration.

Speaking on the shut facilities, Idris said that the facilities were found to have violated health practices and the state had no alternative but to shut them, to avert any mortality.

He stated that the state might shut another 114 health facilities out of the 1182 monitored in the last 12 months, adding that during the last year, 1,089 private health facilities registration were renewed and 305 new pharmacy outlets were opened, adding “45 new patent medicine shops were registered while approval for 84 premises are being awaited.

On Cremation

Adeshina explained that the aim of the law was to uphold the freedom of religion for some of the residents of the state, saying “some citizens of Lagos prefer this and as a government, we must give everyone the opportunity they desire.”

She said “But that doesn’t give citizens the right to cremate their dead body without obtaining permits from the state government. We will not allow that anyone found doing that will be prosecuted immediately.”