The Senate Committee on Finance, on Friday, asked the Federal Inland Revenue Service to explain the rationale behind its decision to appropriate N16bn in its 2016 budget for the 1, 250 staff it planned to recruit this year.

It also asked the agency to produce details of the N1.6bn appropriated in its budget for its retired staff.



The committee also expressed concern over the agencies’ N700m budget for medical bills of staff.

The FIRS, had told the panel that the N1.6bn in its fiscal document this year was meant for its staff who retired last year and those due for retirement this year.

Chairman of the committee, John Enoh, told the Chairman of the FIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler and top staff of his agency during a budget defence session that the welfare package was quite outrageous because it did not spent up to that in previous years.

Enoh therefore asked the FIRS to present total breakdown of the proposed expenditure and also submit details of what it spent last on its retired staff.

He said, “We will need a presentation that tries to explain some particular cases of variation”

Members of the committee had also expressed reservation on the FIRS budget for its retired staff describing it as unreasonable since the agency was known for not spending such huge amount for such purpose.

The committee also observed that the FIRS proposed N350m in the 2015 budget and received approval of N148m but was only able to spend N116m out of the amount.

Enoh said, “We need to have a breakdown of this indication of this N35.9m as was spent for 2015. We also need the proposed expenditure of N1.6bn on this.”

He added that since FIRS claimed that it had not paid its retirees for two years ,it should provide the details of its last expenditure.

The committee also kicked against appropriation of over N16bn for salaries of 1,250 staff yet to be recruited in 2016 by the FIRS.

He said, “You may not have these people on board , maybe until the middle of this year and you have already allocated over N16bn. If you do common calculation,you would discover that the money is too much even for 12 months.”

The FIRS boss however explained that any amount approved but which was not expended, would be returned to the government treasury.

He said, “In terms of personnel, we are hoping that in the month of April, we will conclude the recruitment into the 250 and we hope again, that by June,mid year, we will bring in a thousand other people.”


http://www.punchng.com/budget-senate-faults-firs-n16bn-salary-for-proposed-staff/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

I though they said that they've passed the budget. What's being defended again

this budjet thing self.... when will the senate fault their own salary

Buhari means well... But not everyone in APC

kITATITA:
I though they said that they've passed the budget. What's being defended again

FIRS budget is not part of the national budget.


@OP, the office of the Auditor-General for the federation with over 2000 staff had a personnel expenditure budget of N1.89billion for 2016 while N16billion is budgeted for just 1250 new staff. It's high time that federal government bridges the huge disparity gap in the salaries of federal workers. Corruption in the federal service can never be eradicated if core civil servants are being paid ridiculous salaries while those in places like NNPC, CBN and FIRS are hugely paid.