Ondo State Government and the 18 local government areas of the state have shared N110 million collected as Land Use Charge between July and December 2021.
Chairman of the Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS), Mr Tolu Adegbie, disclosed this at the presentation of cheques to the 18 local government councils in Akure on Tuesday.
Adegbie explained that the state and local government councils had three areas of partnership in revenue collection.
He listed them as Land Use Charge, Radio and Television Rate and Sale of Taxis and Buses Tickets.
The ODIRS chairman explained that the 18 councils jointly received N32.5 million from the collected revenue while the state government took N72.5 million.
The balance of N5 million went to administrative charges, he said.
Adegbie urged the people of the state to pay their Land Use Charge, noting that government used the proceeds for the transformation of the state.
According to him, the ODIRS recorded the highest revenue from Land Use Charge in the history of the state in 2021 when it collected N250 million.
He recalled that the state and local governments shared N135 million of the money collected at the end of the first half of the year.
“Then, the councils got N40.5 million, while the state government got N94.5 million.
“This makes a total of N250 million shared in 2021,’’ he said.
Adegbite explained that Radio and Television Rate collection was strictly for local governments and that the state government did not share in the revenue.
He noted that Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, a strong disciple of tax harmonisation, had directed the increase in councils’ percentage share of Land Use Charges from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.
In his remarks Mr Adegboyega Adefarati, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, commended Gov. Akeredolu for his developmental strides in the state.
He lauded the ODIRS chairman for turning the state’s internal revenue service around for the better.
The commissioner tasked councils to exploit opportunities in their areas to generate more funds to boost the economy.
Adefarati assured the councils of robust partnership, saying the state government would work with them for efficiency and effectiveness. (NAN)
