Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin-Kebbi

The Kebbi state Government, on Monday, lamented that the Chinese Mining Company, operating in Fakai and Bagudo Local Government Areas of the state and other domestic business entrepreneurs were owing it about N4 billion in taxes, which is supposed to be part the state ‘s  N7 billion Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) monthly.

Commissioner for Budget and Economic Development in the state, Hon. Zilami Muhammad, stated this during an opening ceremony of a 4-day sensitisation workshop for Directors of Finance, Bursars and Budget Officers in the state.

He disclosed that the state government was expecting these firms to turn in about N7billion IGR saying “What we are getting from them is about N3 billion.

The commissioner also disclosed that three big hotels in the state were not paying their taxes.

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“The Chinese companies that are operating in Bagudo and Fakai local government areas are not paying their Pay As You Earn. They refused to pay and others business entrepreneurs in the state. We need to do something about this as a measure to increase our IGR”.

Muhammad, who linked up the budget challenges to meagre IGR, said that all the inherited laws from Sokoto State would be repealed to gear up revenue drive of the state.

Earlier, Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Ibrahim  Muhammad Augie, told the participants that the administration of Governor Abubakar Bagudu had introduced series of public financial reforms in order to ensure prudence, transparency, accountability in management and transaction in public funds.

According to Augie, “This has become necessary because revenue accruing to the government over the years have continued to dwindled in real terms. This is in spite of the growing demand from the population for dividend of democracy.”

He added that parts of the reforms introduced included the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS), the State Integrated Financial Management System (SIFMIS), among others.