The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GEMS3

  • GEMS3 Partners Ojodu LCDA to Launch PoP collection system

    The Ojodu Local Council Development Area has taken a bold step in going digital by launching the Point of Payment (PoP) machine which will facilitate the payment of levies and rates within the local council area.

    The event which took place at the council’s secretariat had in attendance various stakeholders who all expressed their delight at the initiative and urge the people to embrace the use of the machine as it will aid rapid development of the area.

    Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the council, Mallam Jaji, said that the introduction of the PoP will tackle rouge revenue collectors and ensure that all revenues are paid directly to the purse of the council.

    He said, “The main reason why we are here is to make our business transactions very easy for those who are paying into the coffers of the council and the council itself. On this seat, we usually have different experiences when it comes to the issue of revenue collection. Some people have the council rubber stamp; they have the council receipt and documents which they use to defraud unsuspecting members of the public. This is one of the leakages that is affecting the effective generation and accumulation of revenue by the local government.”

    “So, if we have this Point of Payment collection, it is to our advantage and it is also to your advantage. We are going to seize this opportunity and make maximum use of it because at the end of the day, we are going to plough back whatever we must have made by extending various amenities to different areas under our local government. So, to that extent, I want to implore you some more to be cooperative with our revenue officers when you see them.

    Jaji went further by thanking the brains behind the initiative, Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3), for coming up with such a creative idea that is meant to make things easy for everybody.

    He said, “When I first heard about this initiative, I was very sceptical thinking they are one of those contractors that want to make their money but I can tell you categorically that up till now, GEMS3 is yet to demand anything from the council. This is a very unique development in Nigeria. To that extent, we say thank you for this initiative while also asking for more of such from you that can be of benefit to us and the people at large.”

    Also speaking at the launch, one of the representatives of Eco Bank which is also a partner of the council on the PoP, Margaret Fawibe, congratulated the people of the council as the introduction of the PoP will finally make life easier for them in terms of payment of levies and rates.

    She said, “I have to congratulate you because with this initiative, there is nothing like rogue revenue collectors coming to you to collect revenue on daily basis on behalf of the council which will not be relayed to the council’s account and which might lead to argument and misunderstanding between you and the council. With this, once you make payment, a receipt will be printed out on the spot by the PoP and you can be rest assured that you have indeed made payment, which will go straight into the coffers of the council.”

    “This will in turn empower the council to provide the necessary amenities that will make life easy for all and sundry. So, let us cooperate with all the revenue officers. We have launched this in Ikeja local government, Ejigbo local government and two other local governments and it is working very well. You can be rest assured that EcoBank will support the local government, the market women and in fact, everybody to make sure that life is easier for all,” She concluded.

  • NGO mediates on tax complaints in Lagos councils

    NGO mediates on tax complaints in Lagos councils

    A non-governmental organisation, Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3), has mediated in tax complaints in local government councils and local council development areas in Lagos State.

    Following frequent complaints by tax payers, especially at the grassroots level of the state, the intervention which held over the last three weeks was to strengthen the tax harmonisation programme in Lagos between the tax authorities and tax payers.

    At the penultimate session at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, public relations officers as well as council treasurers from the 57 local government areas and local council development areas attended and brainstormed on various tax complaints.

    Previous sessions had been attended by revenue chairmen and council managers.

    The workshop sessions were organised in partnership with the office of the Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

     

  • Lagos Councils advised on revenue generation

    Lagos Councils advised on revenue generation

    Local Government Council and Local Council Development Association in Lagos State have been urged to think outside the box to create more sources of generating fund for their councils.

     Lagos Manager of Growth and Employment in State (GEMS3), Mrs Yemisi Joel-Osebor gave the advice  at a tax complaint workshop organised for Revenue Chairmen and Council Managers of local government in Lagos State by Office of The Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation and Revenue in partnership with Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lagos.

    According to her, Councils should not  fix their means of revenue on a particular source of income ” but should find  other ways of generating revenue to fast-track developmental processes for the council.”

    Explaining why the workshop was specifically for Revenue Chairmen and Council Manager of local government, Joel-Osebor revealed that the councils get complaints on personal income tax, land use, and other local government taxes.

    Speakers with experience in tax matters from the Lagos State government and Nigerian Employer Consultative Association (NECA) – a coalition of all employer associations in Nigeria for both multinational and small businesses in Nigeria – also addressed the participants.

     “The reason why we brought them is to share with Revenue Chairmen and Council Manager (the) complaints they been receiving from their members who are tax payers that they get harass often, charged unlawfully and all sorts,” Joel-Osebor said.

    “NECA have been keeping all these records and it will be good to come and share them from those people that are accused of.”

    On how they should get more revenue for the council, Joel-Osebor said that they should create an enabling business environment, let tax payers know what to pay and how to pay, they should not charge the people unlawfully.

    She added that GEMS 3 has given councils  the exact copy of the tax they must charge which was signed by the  governor.

    ” It is important to know what to charge and what not to charge,” she noted.

    Speaking on the same vein, a retired director in the Ministry of Local Government, Fatai Oluwole, attributed corruption as the major impediment against development in local government administration.

    Oluwole said the logal government should engage the use of consultants and deploy information technology to collect revenue to be able to curb corruption as well as setting up a complaints department.

  • GEMS3 calls for harmonized tax system

    GEMS3 calls for harmonized tax system

    A call has been made for implementation of harmonized tax system to ensure conducive environment for general development in the country.

    The Lagos Manager for Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3), Mrs Yemisi Joel-Osebor made the call at a training programme for Budget officers in all the Local Government Councils (LGC) and Local Community Development Associations (LCDA) in the state.

    GEMS3, a business environment improvement organization  is funded by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (UK-DFID) and supported by Adams Smith International.

    Stressing the need for tax harmonization in local governments, Joel-Osebor said there is need to totally speed up revenue, tax planning and other relevant components.

    “We discovered that there is capacity gap, we want to ensure that through this program the officers are better informed to put in place better policy, better practices that will ensure that they focus on growth oriented policies that will enhance their environment, “she explained.

    Joel-Osebor who is also a consultant for Lagos State Government also stated that the focus on budget and planning officers is to ensure that tax payers in Lagos and across other states GEMS is working know what to pay, how to pay where, what to pay instead of being harassed unnecessarily.

    “ We want to ensure that the tax work for them so that they can focus on their business. We believe that if there is proper tax system, there will be a better and healthier environment to transact business.

    “The budget officers that are the people in charge of planning and budget so we want them to know what they are budgeting and planning for because they need to know that their budgeting affect businesses. If they don’t take care of private sectors in their locality, the business people will not be happy. If tax payers are getting informed, there will be a better society.

    She noted that apart from the budget and planning officers, GEMS3 is also working with council managers, revenue chairmen, treasurers and other stakeholders.

    Ola Oyinloye, a tax Consultant for GEMS 3 enunciated the importance of adequate planning to achieve desired objectives adding that planning helps to see the future and how to get to the future.

     

    “What we have done today is to bring budgets and planning officers of all and the councils in Lagos  so that we can discuss with them on intervention plans, what their state is doing and how planning is critical and important to the people in their councils.” Oyinloye stated.

     

    Explaining that the training is being done in nine states of the country and the FCT, Oyinloye who is also a chartered accountant said local governments have to key into the program to take charge of development in Nigeria according to constitutional details.

     

    “What we want them to do is to understand their traditional roles and to take charge of development because they are supposed to provide information and economic matter to the state government. They are the custodian and know what is planning in their locality”, he said.

     

    The Director of Planning for Ministry of Local Government in Lagos State, Akeem Ajibola Balogun thanked GEMS3 for the laudable training to build the capacity of the council officers.

     

    “GEMS3 is program for the future and it seems they are ready to work with local councils in Lagos State because most the trainings they’ve giving them are practical to what each local council is encountering”

    He urged his colleagues and council chairmen to work with GEMS3 for development sustainability and to put in practice what they’ve been taught at the workshop.

     

  • Govt inaugurates task force on review of policies

    Govt inaugurates task force on review of policies

    The Federal Government yesterday has inaugurated a task force to review the country’s investment policies.

    The review will be anchored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3), a United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID)-funded programme.

    The Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga, made this known during the inauguration in Abuja, stating that the review would include such critical areas, such as investment policy, promotion and facilitation, trade policy, competition policy and corporate governance.

    He said: “Africa, today, is known as the last investment frontier globally in terms of investment opportunities and Nigeria is a key player in that sector. And for the first time, we have Nigeria in a different area where you can describe as the high growth and high return environment compared to at least 75 per cent of other global economies. This means that we are in a very unique position to take advantage of this unique opportunity.”