Bauchi State governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed on Wednesday, assented to a new tax and revenue law to improve the revenue generation capacity of the government.
According to the Commissioner for Justice, Yakubu Bello Kirfi, there was a presentation of an executive tax bill, already deliberated at the Bauchi House of Assembly, which the governor had assented to.
“There was a presentation of an executive bill to harmonize all revenues and taxes collected in the state. This bill that was presented by the Bauchi State House of Assembly, has been assented to and it has now become law.
“When the governor came on board, he ordered for a complete overhaul of the obsolete revenue laws of Bauchi state. This was to ensure that we boost our capacity to generate IGR, especially in this era of Covid-19. The tax law with 118 sections will ensure that there is accountability, create synergy between relevant agencies and boost IGR of the state” he said.
In another development, a bill has been sent to the Bauchi State House of Assembly for consideration on the reduction of the State’s budget from N167 billion to N128billion.
According to the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Aminu Gamawa, the reviewed bill (budget) mirrors the current economic realities of the state.
“After consultations with relevant agencies, we examined our budget to make it more realistic. Projects that we don’t have money for has been excluded. We gave more attention to Covid-19 related projects, like the palliative transport services to cushion the effect of Okada ban. Health and education sectors were also considered very important.
“The Covid-19 pandemic affected our economy, hence the reduction of our budget from 167 billion to 128 billion naira. The executive bill will be sent to the House of Assembly for deliberation. After the budget is approved, we will make it available to the people of Bauchi,” the Commissioner said.
