To increase the Federal Capital Territory (FCT’s) income base, the Personal Income Tax and the FCT Internal Revenue Service Acts of 2015 must be strictly implemented, the FCT Minister , Barrister Nyesom Wike, has hinted.

In order to achieve this, it has been mandated that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Commercial Banks, and FCT Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) strictly abide by the law, particularly Sections 85 of the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) and 31 of the FCT Internal Revenue Service Act 2015.

Both sections provide for demand and verification of Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC), by Federal Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, Commercial Banks, and FCT Secretariats, Departments and Agencies before any transactions is allowed.

Penalties ranging from N1000,000.00 fine to three years jail term as provided in the Acts await defaulters as the new revenue generation exercise takes off.

The Mandate Secretary of the Economic Planning, Revenue Generation, and Public Private Secretariat, Hon. Chinedum Elechi, at a press conference in Abuja on Monday disclosed that Wike “has approved the implementation of Section 85 of Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) and Section 31 of the FCT Internal Revenue Service Act, 2015.”

Elechi , however, warned that per Section 85 of the PITA, anyone who provided false information or obtained a TCC through forgery or falsification, was liable to a fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) or a three year jail term or both upon conviction.

He added that a government entity or organization who failed to verify a TCC was liable to a fine of N5,000,000 or a three year, jail term or both, upon conviction.

The Secretary also explained that Section 31 of the FCT-IRS Act provided that all SDAs, corporate bodies, or any person empowered by law, shall demand a TCC from any person or enterprises for the last three years “preceding the current year of assessment as a precondition for transacting any business in the FCT”.

The said transactions include Certificate of Occupancy, award of contracts, approval of building plans, application for FCTA loan for housing, business or any other purpose, registration of motor vehicles, among others.

Elechi appealed to residents to pay their taxes and obtain their TCCs, noting that “Taxes are essential to the foundation of any government, and it is important that everyone pays their fair share. Payment of tax is a civic duty and responsibility. Implementation of these laws is intended to ensure that all eligible taxpayers in the FCT comply with their tax obligations”.

The FCT minister, at a session with revenue generating agencies barely a month ago, had hinted that his target is to raise the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the FCT above N250 billion a month.

Accordingly, the minister said all revenue generating agencies in the FCT are being mobilised for serious improvement.

Elechi had at a meeting with revenue generating agencies stated: “We think that FCTA has the capacity to do N250 billion a month, on a good day and that is the sort of target we are looking at.

“We can even do N300 billion a month in some good periods. So that is what we want to work out.

“However, in trying to grow revenue, it will also have a human face, because we are going to be dealing with issues of multiple taxation, so things are going to be streamlined.

“We are going to make sure that taxation has a human face,” he hinted.

Elechi noted that the need for the citizens to perform their civic duty of paying their taxes as at when due.

He further stated that the meeting was to find ways to improve IGR in the FCT, which he said was pivotal to the aspiration of making Abuja one of the developed capital cities of the world. (Daily Independent)