Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has promised to look into double taxation in the running of businesses in the city.
He advised those doing businesses in the FCT to be calm over the multiple taxation by various government agencies, assuring his Administration would look into it.
The FCT Minister, who spoke today when a delegation of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) led by its President, Dr. Frank Jacobs paid him a visit in his office said however that the issue of double taxation is a national one.
Muhammadu Bello stressed that he is out to seriously support the manufacturers in any way possible, even as he appealed to members of MAN to help woo investors to come and invest in Abuja which he said his Administration will make friendly for the manufacturers.
“We need industries to lubricate our economy and to also help generate employment for the citizenry,” the minister said, saying that such industries would create employment for the teeming unemployed youths in the Territory.
He promised to strengthen a department in the FCT Administration to serve as a focal point with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria to create the desirable synergy.
The Minister who revealed that the FCT Administration would later in the year, organize Economic Summit to discuss how to move Abuja forward said that the Administration will henceforth allocate plots of land in the Abuja industrial zones to only genuine manufacturers that have the capacity to develop it for the purpose the plots are earmarked.
Earlier, the President of the Association, Dr. Frank Jacobs complained of multiply taxation and called for harmonization of taxes in the Federal Capital Territory.
He appealed to the Minister to provide more infrastructure to the Idu Industrial Zone to attract more manufacturing activities. [myad]
