By Olawale Ajimotokan
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has relinquished the power to collect all revenue from outdoor advertisements on its behalf to the Department of Outdoor Advertisements and Signage (DOAS).
AMAC Chairman, Abdulahi Candido, announced the concession yesterday in a joint statement with the Director DOAS, Dr. Baba-Gana Adam, on the disputes arising on the collection of taxes, levies and permits on outdoor advertisement and signage system in the FCT.
The agreement has finally resolved the lingering conflict on who has the legal rights or otherwise to collect advert revenue, signage permits including mobile, first party and third party advertisements and signage within the jurisdiction of AMAC in the FCT
Candido, said though Section 7 and the fourth schedule of the 1999 Constitution vested the powers on local government areas or Area Councils as in the case of FCT, to collect advertisement permits, taxes and levies within its areas, the stakeholders resolved that in recognition of subsisting agreements and associated bye-laws, DOAS should henceforth carry out the function.
He added that the amicable settlement was in the interest of the general public and a bold step in the easing ways of doing business and doing things in common.
“As a responsive and responsible government, the council accepts that it is in the best interest of both parties and most especially the residents of AMAC in FCT to delegate this task to the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS) in order to harmonise collections, avoid double taxation, improve the on the ease of doing business and ensure seemless tax collection in council.
“Whatever mitigations you think we have, we must not go beyond our reach, so we are not accused of contempt. But anything that is given in the course of law that two partners, who have come together means the case has been resolved,” Candido said.
In his remarks, Adam described the resolution as a giant stride, while adding that DOAS is now setting N3 billion as its revenue target from collection outdoor signage advertisement in 2021.
