Taraba’s 2023 budget will ensure smooth transition of power, completion of ongoing projects -Commissioner
Taraba’s 2023 budget will ensure smooth transition of power, completion of ongoing projects -Commissioner
Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Taraba State Commissioner for Budget and Planning Mr Solomon Elisha has disclosed that the 2023 Appropriation Law in the state is planned to ensure that the state governor completes all ongoing projects before the end of his tenure and that the incoming governor has everything put in place for a smooth takeoff of a new administration.
Elisha stated this while dissecting the 2023 budget for the public at a forum with the Press and Civil Society Organizations in the state.
The Commissioner who is also the Chairman, Nigerian forum of Commissioners of Budget and Planning disclosed that as at September 2022, the 2022 budget had already recorded over 60% performance from the annual performance projection of 75% and was optimistic that by the time the last quarter performance was fully collated, the budget may have overshot the target performance.
He further disclosed that the State government has factored in control of Value Added Tax (VAT) as measures to boost independent revenue to finance the 2023 budget.
Elisha announced that the State was able to generate N11.030 billion in 2022, the highest ever internally generated revenue in the state and noted that the State is projected to generate N19.388 billion by end of 2023.
“Yes, the State government is going to be in charge of collecting VAT. To finance the 2023 budget of N173.234 bn, the sum of N73.371bn is expected to come from the share of statutory allocation, while N19.388bn is the projected independent revenue including VAT.
“Similarly, N39.920bn is expected to come from aides and grants, while another N39.954 will come from capital development fund receipts” he said.
The Commissioner who said the budget was prepared in accordance with the National Chart of Accounts (NCoA) noted that the budget provision will be used to complete important on-going projects and provide the framework for the new administration to build on.
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He told journalists that as part of measures to get more money for capital projects, the State government has put in place measures to improve on revenue generation through blocking of leakages, emphasizing on new sources, creating fiscal space for infrastructural development and strick monitoring and evaluation measures.
According to Elisha, “all these measures are part of deliberate government attempts in the mobilization of revenue to reduce dependence on federal allocation in the financing of the State projects” he said.
The 2023 Taraba State budget is Governor Darius Ishaku’s last budget as his eight years reign is expected to end on May 29th when a new governor will be sworn in.
Elisha commended the Press for the active role they have played in ensuring greater budget implementation through budget tracking from ministries, departments and agencies, and urged them to continue with the good work of keeping government on her toes in delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
