Zamfara State Commissioner for Finance Rabiu Garba has again declared that, at the inception of the current administration of Bello Matawalle they have discovered that, out of the 232 companies that owns exploration license to operate in Zamfara State, only one of them has ever paid tax to Zamfara state government.
He said the in ability of the remaining 231 have never paid a dime to the state government in spite of the dwindling financial crises the state is faced with.
Rabiu Garba made the declaration at Zamfara Radio phone in programme on Sunday.
“At my inception as the State Commissioner for Finance, I have inquired from the Chairman of the state Board of Internal Revenue how many of these 232 companies with exploration license to operate in Zamfara State are paying taxes and she confirmed to me that it is only one of them that has ever paid tax, Rabiu added.”
The Commissioner said, the in ability of these companies to pay taxes to the state government as the custodian of these solid minerals they have been exploring has crippled the cash flow of the state government in terms of Internally Generated Revenue collection.
Rabiu further said, to tackle the ugly development, his ministry has championed the cause of forwarding a Public Private Partnership (BPP) draft bill to the state house of assembly in order to strengthen the state to be able to enforce the payment of taxes on these companies so that the state IGR can be improved.
He called on all stakeholders to join hand with his ministry and ensure that the draft bill has been passed in to law and also support the state in making sure that, these companies are compelled to pay taxes as at when due.
