Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has tasked the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to resolve the contentious issue of stamp duties for the progress of the nation.
Mutfwang made the call when a delegation from the commission led by the Federal Commissioner of Jigawa, Hauwa Aliyu visited him in Jos. The governor urged the commission to shore up efforts in resolving the contentious issue of stamp duties for the progress of the nation.
He commended RMAFC on its efforts to block revenue leakages in the country. He said that their performance would justify the purpose of establishing it to monitor accruals into and disbursement of revenue from the federation Account as required by extant laws.
The governor implored them to also perform their constitutional duties of reviewing some of the streams of revenue in the country for appropriate action.
“The commission has been able to also block some leakages and ensure that some critical revenues that are hidden are brought out into the common purse to be shared,” he said.
He said that Plateau was among the states that have adopted the Open Government Partnership to ensure transparency and accountability in its disbursement of revenue and other administrative duties.
“We(Plateau) are one of the states that have signed on to the Open Government Partnership and we believe in transparency.
“ Therefore, we would welcome you to look into our books.
“Be rest assured that all the relevant Ministries Department and Agencies(MDAs) have been given the necessary instructions to ensure that they cooperate and collaborate with you so that you can be able to carry out your exercise,” he noted.
Mutfwang implored the commission to share useful information on revenue matters to the state government, to enable it comply to laid down directives.
“We hope that we will continue to benefit from information sharing.
“ So that we will do exactly what is due to us as a state and to find some ease in trying to ensure that those revenues accrue as at when due,” he stated.
Speaking, Aliyu said that the visit to Plateau was in respect of its Monitoring and Recovery Exercise on Tax Liabilities owed by states, MDAS and Local Government Councils.
She said that a monitoring exercise conducted by the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation in 2021, established liabilities against the Federal, State and Local Government.
She said the liabilities were established against Plateau of more than ₦504 million in respect to default in the payment of Withholding Tax , Value Added Tax and Stamp Duties Agreements.
She said that the visit to the governor was to sought for the cooperation of his officials in providing the necessary documents to ensure the success of the exercise. NAN reports that in 2022, controversies emerged between the federal government and labour union over who has the responsibility to collect stamp duties charge.
The Finance Act which was recently signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, had given the responsibility of collecting stamp duties charges to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, instead of the Nigeria Postal Service, NIPOST, that before now performed the function.
The alleged stripping of NIPOST of the responsibility to collect stamp duties charges has not gone down well with Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies, SSASCGOC, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, that has viewed the development as a usurpation of its statutory duty by another agency of government.
NAN reports that the 36 state governors on Sept 3, resolved to demand for the payment of stamp duties from President Bola Tinubu’s administration in line with their agreement with Buhari.
The governors argued that the trillions of naira that have accumulated from the payment of stamp duties would cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal better than the “token” being given to the states by the federal government as palliatives.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
 to resolve the contentious issue of stamp duties for the progress of the nation.){kind=link}