The Senate yesterday criticised its Finance Committee for approving the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) 2016 budget, which it said was full of ambiguities and duplication of projects.
The lawmakers, while debating the recommendation of the committee during the day’s plenary also criticised the report as lacking in details.
Senate President Bukola Saraki who presided over the plenary, asked the committee to work on the grey areas in its report and re-present it in one week.
On the proposed 2016 budget of the FIRS, the report said, “The FIRS projected to collect tax revenues to the tune of N4.082trn in 2016.
“This comprises N484bn oil and N3.597tn non-oil revenues. The projected four per cent cost of collection on non-oil revenue is N143, 904,640,000.
“The total projected available fund for the 2016 budget is N146, 165,108,293, comprising four per cent cost of collection and N2, 260,468,293 or 20 per cent of 2015 operating surplus.”
It therefore rejected the report of the committee, which had approved all projects, provisions and proposals.
Yesterday too, Saraki warned ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs) against violating the Public Procurement Law, which charged them to give preference to locally produced goods in Nigeria.
He also charged Senate committee chairmen to ensure in the course of their oversight duties that MDAs comply with the provision of the law on the patronage of local manufacturers just as he also urged all military and paramilitary agencies to emulate the army by procuring items like boots and other needs locally.
In a statement by Chuks Okocha, Special Assistant on Print Media, Saraki said this when members of the Leather and Allied Products Manufacturers Association of Abia State (LEAPMAAS) visited him to express appreciation to the Senate for its support for the ‘Buy Made in Nigeria’ campaign.
He advised local manufacturers to petition the Senate whenever any government agency deliberately refused to patronise them.According to the Senate president, “Today, we have made it a national project. I also promise you that we will amend the existing laws to give your efforts a legal backing that will ensure patronage of local manufacturers. That has also been done with the amendment of the Public Procurement Act.”
