The House of Representatives Committee on Public Account has asked the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to return N4.6 billion which represents two per cent of total tax collected in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the FCT Inland Revenue Service (FCT-IRS).
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Wole Oke (PDP-Osun), gave the ruling at a public hearing on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that it was wrong for the FIRS to take part of the money belonging to the FCT-IRS under any guise.
“Our ruling will be that the chairman of the FIRS should refund the taxes collected due to the FCT-IRS.
“That the chairman, FCT-IRS, if you are still in need of the services of FIRS, due process should be followed and engage FIRS and pay them properly,” he said.
Oke said that by the establishment and commencement of operations by the FCT-IRS, they were entitled to collect five per cent of total tax collection in the territory.
Earlier, the Chairman, FIRS, Mr Tunde Fowler, said that FIRS takes two per cent of total tax collected to cover for the cost services rendered to the FCT-IRS.
He said that 170 FIRS members of staff were on secondment to FCT-IRS and that their salaries and other benefits were being paid by the FIRS.
Fowler said that the FIRS also gave logistics support to the FCT-IRS and that it is housing the agency too.
”We started with four per cent but as at last year, we renegotiated it to two per cent.
“We support other states IRS but for FCT, we have given them building, logistics and staff, even this two per cent is not enough to cover the cost.
“We cannot continue to support them this way, I may be forced to pull out our all my staff and support which will have negative impact on revenue generation in the FCT,” he said.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
