Bayelsa raises revenue generation panel

GOVERNOR Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has inaugurated a nine -man revenue committee with a mandate to assist the government explore legitimate means to beef up its internally-generated funds.Speaking during the inauguration at the Government House, Yenagoa, Dickson charged the committee to undertake a general review of the state Internal Revenue Board from its inception to date.Lamenting that the state had the least internally-generated revenue (IGR) in the country, Dickson said his administration had decided to take pragmatic measures to address the unacceptably low revenue profile of the state.The governor said unless a state meets its recurrent obligations from internally-generated sources, it cannot be said to be financially free.'The state should be managed in such a way that our independence and ability to sustain our operations should not be dependent on variables that are beyond our control.Our aspiration of going forward, particularly with our robust programme, is to see that we generate enough income to be able to meet our recurrent expenditure', he said.Reeling out the committee's terms of reference, Dickson charged them to identify the various sources of IGR available to the state.The committee, which is expected to conclude its assignment within one month, was also directed to ascertain the amount of IGR collected and payment made by the revenue board to government from its inception to date, among others.The committee, which is headed by Francis Doukpola, has the Special Adviser on Treasury, Accounts and Revenue, Mr. Timipre Seipulou, as its secretary.
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