BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA
Worried by continued leakage of revenues accruing to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), the council chairman, Hon Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, has threatened to revoke the licences of it’s technical partners engaged in collection of taxes and other revenues.
Maikalangu, who gave the threat in Abuja on Wednesday, frowned at the continued revenue leakages under the watch of the technical partners, even as he directed all it’s contractors to liaise with the chief revenue officer of the council for all their needs, instead of printing remand notices and receipts on their own.
He directed all AMAC technical partners to liaise with the chief revenue officer of the council for all their needs, instead of printing remand notices and receipts on their own.
The AMAC chairman also directed that all technical partners of the council to abide by the bye-law guiding their contract to avoid incessant pilfering and the excesses of fake revenue collectors that are stealing the council’s revenue by the use of impostors.
In a statement by his senior special assistant on media and public affairs, Kingsley Madaki, Maikalangu stated that all AMAC technical partners MUST go to the chief revenue officer of the council and collect their separate demand notices duly stamped, while no technical partner is permitted to print their own demand notice on their own.
According to the statement, “They should go to the Chief Revenue Officer whenever their Demand Notices finishes for replacement and go to AMAC Revenue and Security Taskforce for verification.
“The Council reserves the right to revoke the license of any technical partner who produces his/her own demand notices or receipts without delay. The Council will regard such partner as criminal and will be treated as such.
“The AMAC Taskforce on Revenue Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement are empowered to apprehend and prosecute anyone or group, who is subtly collecting taxes and levies on behalf of the Council illegally.”
He added: “The general public are advised not to pay cash to any Technical Partner or their representative to avoid falling victim of fake revenue collectors operating illegally within the Council.
“The public is further informed that this step is to curtail the excesses of fraudsters masquerading themselves as agents or representatives of the council as well as to save our valued client and unsuspecting members of the public from falling prey to emerging trickery.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all revenue collectors, technical partners are enjoined to adhere to this directive and desist from cash collections henceforth.
“The general public is kindly expected to treat this passionately. Beware of fraudsters. For further enquires, please contact the Council’s Chief Revenue Officer or call 08033115179, 08038753524.”