The Taraba state chairman Board of Internal revenue, Simon Ambata’a, said the board under his leadership has generated more than N5.1 billion as its internally generated revenue IGR, in the year 2018. Reconciliation is still going on to arrive at the final figure which he said will exceed by more than one billion the N5.9 billion generated in 2017.
Ambata’a who stated this in an exclusive interview with BusinessDay in his office also highlighted the assistance of governor Dickson Ishaku to the board.
He said the board which generated N4.5 billion in 2016 and N5.9 billion in 2017 has generated N5.1 billion so far in the year 2018, this he said has already exceeded by 5 percent the 2018 target given to the board while the reconciliation is still going on.
“In 2016 the revenue collection by the board was about N4.5 billion. By 2017, it rose to N5.1 billion. As I am talking to you now, we have not finished the returns or the reconciliation of revenue for 2018, because we have to close over for the new year, before you go back to see what you have collected.
By the budget that was given to us, we have already collected over 86 percent; that translated to over N5.1billion. By the time we bring the resources that were gathered in December, which include resources from the new technology that we adopted, we are optimistic we will exceed the revenue collected in 2017 by more than a billion” he said.
He applauded governor Ishaku for the assistance given to the board ranging from approving technologically revenue collection process, Identifying revenue consultant for the board among others even as he said the governor took over when the state was in need of massive development while the federal allocation was not enough.
“When Darius Dickson Ishaku took over the mantle of leadership, the first thing that was obviously on his mind was how he can revamp the internal revenue sources so as to cope with the high expectation of service delivery to his people. The need to build infrastructure, hospital and educational institutions were in dire need of repair. The situation permeated all faces of the state economy, even as the federal Allocation could not cater for these needs”.
From an analogue method of operations, the chairman repositioned the board into a technologically driven platform. On this note, he explained “Along the line, I realized that the management of revenues is supposed to be technologically driven. So we went in search of partners that could drive the process.
“Some consultants were assigned, but at the time I took over, they were not operational. With the support of his Excellency, we were able to Identify a consultant known as Bizz Desk Group Limited to partner with us and automate our tax process and also to help in the management of revenue generation and collection”.
On the Challenges of generating revenue, Ambata’a explained “revenue you know does not come in a vacuum. You need to lay something, to be able to bring out something”government, needs to create a conducive environment, by partnering effectively with stakeholders, small and large scale farmers, as well as facilitators of development like banks, international agencies. Am relieved that Taraba state government is already towering on this path.”
He cited the vegetable garden in Jalingo, which is producing cucumber, vegetables, Tomatoes, sweet pepper, enhanced performance of the Mambila highland Beverages company as well as some moribund companies which the state has reactivated, as a good sign for a solid IGR in the state.
The chairman appealed that “People should trust us and pay their tax. We are aware that when people are suspicious that the taxes, fines or levies they pay are not being channeled for the general good, they become very resistant.
“As his Excellency has come back to power again we will try to see if we can tie the taxes we collect to specific developments so that we can show to people this is what we have done with your tax, now we are applying it to general development and people seem not to appreciate very much. Otherwise you will discover that this billions we generate here are going to the general development of Tarabans,” he said.
