BIRS Generates Higher Revenue Through Fiscal Discipline, Says Chairman

The Executive Chairman of the Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), Hon. Kwaghgba Joseph, has said the agency is generating significantly higher revenue for the Benue State Government than in previous administrations, attributing the improvement to strict compliance with financial regulations and prudent revenue management.

Speaking during a visit by journalists to his office, Kwaghgba explained that adherence to established financial and budgetary guidelines has strengthened revenue collection and enhanced the government's capacity to finance its programmes and policies.

According to him, previous administrations allowed some revenue-generating agencies to collect and spend public funds directly, contrary to extant financial regulations. He argued that the practice encouraged the diversion of government revenue and reduced funds available for public expenditure.

He stressed that under his leadership, BIRS has discontinued such practices, insisting that all revenues collected by the agency are remitted in accordance with the law.

"The administration of revenue must be guided by the law. Any revenue-collecting agency that spends public funds directly without following due process acts contrary to the provisions established by the Benue State House of Assembly to ensure accountability and transparency," he said.

Kwaghgba noted that the state's appropriation laws promote fiscal discipline by assigning the Budget Office, the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General the responsibility of overseeing the release and management of public funds, while BIRS is mandated solely to collect and remit revenue.

He urged all government agencies involved in revenue generation to comply with the state's financial regulations and avoid actions that undermine the established public finance management system.

The BIRS chairman was responding to allegations by the General Manager of the Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency (BENSESA), Hon. Anta Igbaato, who claimed that since BIRS collects sanitation levies from the Makurdi Modern Market, it should also be responsible for evacuating refuse from the market.

In response, Kwaghgba clarified that BIRS only intervened on a discretionary basis to address an urgent public health concern when poor sanitary conditions in the market required immediate attention.

"There are instances where we support sister agencies, but such interventions do not transfer their statutory responsibilities to BIRS," he stated.

He emphasized that the agency's decision to facilitate refuse evacuation from the market a few months ago was motivated by the need to protect public health and safety, not because BIRS had assumed the responsibilities of BENSESA.

Kwaghgba cautioned against creating the impression that the tax agency had taken over sanitation duties in the state, describing its intervention as an exceptional measure undertaken in the public interest.

He advised BENSESA to work closely with relevant government institutions, including the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General, to access statutory funding required to effectively discharge its responsibilities.