THE automobile market in Nigeria has witnessed a mega boom in the past 10 years, having absorbed not less than 12 million imported vehicles including trucks within the period under review.
Ironically, however, the revenue generating agencies for the Federal Government, including the Nigerian Customs and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), have failed to track the boom for financial gains for the government of Nigeria.
According to a statistics said to have been generated by the House of Representatives, out of the huge number of cars imported into the country in the past 10 years, the agencies have only been able to collect duties from 1.5 million cars.
Statistics, according to the House of Representatives, shows that the number plates issued out by the FRSC in Nigeria is not up to six million.
It was learnt also that while about 700 trucks were imported into Nigeria within the past two years, the government agencies could only register 300.
The House of Representatives Committee on Industry has, however, set machinery in motion to raise the revenue generating drive of the Customs and the FRSC in tracking every vehicle imported into Nigeria either legally or otherwise, with a view to compelling users of illegally imported vehicles to pay appropriate duties which they had hitherto evaded.
The committee chairman, Honourable Solomon Agidiani, told Saturday Tribune that the oversight performed by members on government revenue generating agencies revealed discrepancies in the amount generated on imported vehicles in Nigeria and the total number imported into the country in the past 10 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment