By; Samson Yaki, Kaduna.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly has passed into Law the Bill to make Provision for Appropriation of Funds for the 23 Local Governments in the state.
This came after the Committee on Appropriation and Implementation had examined the Budget cum the harmonisation and the defence exercise which took place few weeks ago.
Arising from the Defence and Harmonisation Exercise, the committee observed that despite several persuasions on the need to improve the Internal Revenues of local governments, there is still over dependence on statutory allocation, valued added tax and others from the Federation Account.
It was also discovered that Local Governments spend mainly on salaries and overheads and there has been delay in the submission of Local Government Budget Estimates for the consideration of the honourable House.
In this regard, the 2016 estimates of the councils are harmonised and packaged together in a single document which provides for some sanity and ease of reference.
The committee has therefore established the need for speedy implementation of tax Laws to provide for sizeable internal revenue for the Councils to enable them reduce over dependence on receipts from the federation account.
That Internal Revenues should be seen as central to the existence and development of the councils and the State Government should ensure that revenue generation machineries are fully utilized to improve the Internal Revenue bases as well as prevent leakages.
It was also resolved that Local Governments Councils should be made to reduce wasteful spending on overheads and concentrate on capital services for the betterment of the society.
Similarly, Executive should be advised to ensure that Local Governments Council Budgets Estimates are submitted to the House not later than two months into the financial year for consideration.
Meanwhile, a Bill for the provision for supplementary appropriation of Funds for the State was passed into Law.
The Law, which is to make Provision for Supplementary Appropriation of Fund in the State, says the Accountant General of the State may on the warrant of the Commissioner of Finance, issue from the consolidated Revenue Fund of the State during the year ending 31st December, 2016, any sum not exceeding in whole the sum of four billion, five hundred and sixty nine million, three hundred and fifty nine thousand, eight hundred and seven naira only (#4,569,359,807.42) as specified shall be appropriated for the purpose of and in the manner expressed.
The breakdown of the Supplementary Capital Expenditure, saw social and Education sectors gulping one billion naira (1,000,000,000.00), Regional and Water Resources take away over three billion (3, 069,359,807.42) and Economic
Works, Housing, and Transport will make do with five hundred million naira (500,000,000.00).
