Senate to expedite action on FCT revenue board

Senate President, Senator David Mark, has assured that the senate would expedite action on the bills for the establishment of the FCT Board of Internal Revenue and for FCT Property Tax.
David Mark gave this assurance yesterday while launching 180 brand new vehicles for the second batch of FCT Administration’s Subsidy Re-Investment Programme (SURE-P) Taxi Scheme in Abuja.
The Senate President, who was represented by the Senate Deputy Leader and Chairman of Senate Committee on SURE-P, Senator Abdul Ningi, said the expedited attention would enable FCT leverage its revenue base with a view to funding its key infrastructure and public service programmes.

In his address, the Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, said that  launching of the 180 taxis is the second phase of the scheme is yet another important milestone in the fulfilment of the pledge made to the people; adding that “with this, we have succeeded in introducing 340 taxis into the system”.

He said the FCT transportation sector has received significant investments under the SURE-P intervention programme, through which he “has so far released N1 billion to the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company Limited for the rehabilitation of its buses as well as the purchase of new ones.

In his speech, Dr. Musa Ahmed Musa, said the implementation of the FCT SURE-P/AICL Taxi Scheme on behalf of the FCT Administration commenced in May 2013, with the release of N500 million by the FCT SURE-P.

Musa said the first batch of the scheme comprising of 160 vehicles were procured at the total unit cost of N2.7 million covering the cost of vehicle; one year Comprehensive Insurance; GPS Tracking System; Registration/Number Plate as well as painting and branding.

According to him, each of the vehicles was given out to the beneficiaries based on 3-year lease period with 10 per cent subsidy on the total cost of the vehicle.