There are indications that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) may undertake a review of its revenue generation strategy in the coming weeks, following research on commercial activities in the nation’s capital which do not remit any tax to it.
Mandate Secretary on Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and Public-Private Partnership, PPP, Agboola Lukman Dabiri gave this hint on Wednesday, noting that the FCT has the potential to surpass Lagos in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
According to him, there are several sectors where FCT can generate more revenue and top the ladder of revenue generation among states.
He said, “There are many untapped resources here, we don’t collect money for parking cars anymore, we don’t collect money from estates, not all people pay, Uber is here, dispatch riders, we are not collecting revenue from all these people. By the time we are able to harness all those areas, it will further shoot up the revenue base of the FCT.
“I can say confidently, by the grace of God and with the support of the FCT minister, Musa Bello, by the time we are able to harness these areas, I assure you, we can generate more revenue compelled to what we are getting at the moment.
“In Lagos for instance, if you place adverts on the streets, you have to pay for them, but here in Abuja, do you pay? Election is around the corner, campaign posters will soon flood all the place, are they paying for such posters?”
Dabiri also hinted that the Secretariat has been championing the course of harmonizing revenues from all generating agencies in the FCT with a view to blocking leakages.
