Revenue: AMAC Moves Against Fake Agents, Arrests 68

By: Wisdom Acka

Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, has warned against payment of taxes acruing to the Council to fake revenue collectors.

Maikalangu, who gave this warning during a Press Conference in his office on Tuesday, warned that only bank tellers of payments made into the Council accounts would be accepted.

He explained that the media briefing became imperative owing to large number of impostors parading themselves as revenue collectors for the Council even as he warned them to desist from printing fake AMAC revenue receipts and demand notices.

According to him, no fewer than 68 of the revenue sabotours have been arrested and prosecuted through the Council’s mobile court established to try tax defaulters.

The Chairman stressed that he needed all the revenue to be able to provide services and infrastructure to the people of the Council.

Maikalangu regretted that some residents had preference for cash payments; adding that such a practice would only abate defaulters and deny him of the needed funds to work.

He continued: “Collection of revenue is not as easy as many people imagine. That is why I set up the Taskforce upon assumption of office. In fact, we recorded good results in 2023, which is why I am relying on the Taskforce to help in arresting revenue leakages abetted by fake revenue agents.”

“Even yesterday, we arrested one of them. He had gone to a hotel to demand for payment. Luckily, the owner of the hotel knows me personally, so he called me and handed over the phone to the fake agent. Can you imagine that the fake agent was asking me who I am and who is my Oga? That’s how to know fake agents,” he revealed.

The Chairman however, stated: “It is only daily tickets sold to cars, motorcycles and traders in the market that is exempted. Others are paid through banks.”

He also disclosed that the system he put in place would also checkmate even our Taskforce.

“We checkmate even those checkmating others against excesses. We have the Chairman of the Taskforce and hold him responsible if anything goes wrong”, he declared.

“We are repeating and appealing to our taxpayers, go to the bank and pay your tax. Don’t pay cash to anybody. Our problem is the taxpayers. They also prefer to go through shortcut by paying cash to fake agents for reduction. However, from now on, we won’t take that. We would like you to pay to AMAC account or pay twice”, he reiterated.