The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, says the Federal Government will increase the Value Added Tax on some items in the course of the year. Some of the items according to her, will include carbonated drinks as well as some luxury items. She stated this on Wednesday at the launch of the Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative in Abuja, targeted at improving revenue sources for government. Ahmed said the move had become imperative as a result of the fiscal challenges the government is confronted with in providing infrastructure for its people. She, however, noted that the increment will only be done after due consultation with the National Assembly. “There will be a VAT increase. During the course of 2019, we will have clarity as to which items and what the rate will be and we will have to take a request to the National Assembly for amendment before it takes effect. “There is also going to be luxury tax. Already, there is luxury tax imposed on things like jets, yach...

ASUU: Lecturers reveals what FG must do to end strike next week plustvafrica.com FG To Continue Negotiation With ASUU Leaders The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, has revealed what the Federal Government must do now for the strike to be called off next week. He said that after due consultations with its executives across the country, they have resolved to continue the ongoing strike until the Federal Governments pays at least N220 billion out of N1.1 trillion it owed the public universities. He said that universities lecturers  had   rejected the Federal Government offer  of money to end the strike because it was far from their demands. The lecturer confirmed that the Federal Government had, through the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance presented  to the union the evidence of  the payment of N15.4 billion to  universities last Tuesday....

FG Invests N2.7 Trillion in Infrastructure Development – Presidential Aide Imeh Okon, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Infrastructure, says the federal government has invested about N2.7 trillion in the development of infrastructure in the last three years. Mr Okon said this during a High Level Stakeholders Retreat on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Friday. “So far, the federal government has invested N2.7 trillion in infrastructure in the last three years and as you can see, some of the dividends have been the N100 billion that we have injected into the rail project. “What we have done as a government is to go back to the 25-year Master Plan on the rail sector. All what you are seeing right now is in terms of rail infrastructure as a result of the Master plan that was on ground.” She said the essence of the retreat was to bring stakeholders together to deliberate and develop on policies that would be suitable for t...

I’ll Pay Anything Approved by Federal Government:  Gov. Al-Makura The Governor of Narasawa State, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has stated his administration’s resolve to implement any amount approved by the Federal Government as new minimum wage for workers. The Governor stated this on Thursday while swearing-in eleven newly appointed commissioners. He also swore in the Director General of Nasarawa Geographic Information Service, NAGIS. Al-Makura said, “This was predicated upon the conviction that if our mandate, encapsulated in our policies and programmes, is to serve the people, then the public servant who is the nerve centre of policy implementation must be given his dues. “In this regard, as we are awaiting the final decision on the review of the National Minimum Wage, I assure our workers that we will be among the first States to implement any decision reached by the Federal Government.” Speaking further, Al-Makura disclosed that he had directed the implementation o...