The Senate has increased the 2020 revenue target of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) by N557.4billion, that is, from N942.6 billion to N1.5trillion.
This is sequel to its upward adjustment of the proposed nation’s budget for 2020 from N10.002tn to N10.729.4 tn.
This followed the presentation, consideration and approval yesterday, of the report of the Senator Solomon Adeola-led Senate Committee on Finance by the Red Chamber in Abuja.
The Committee also recommended the adoption of N1.5 trillion as the amount for new borrowing by the Federal Government in 2020, as a result of reduction of N200 billion which was sourced from the increase of revenue target of the Nigeria Custom Service.
The Committee had said that the “The revenue target of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of N942.6 billion for 2020 should be increased to N1.5 trillion, as a result of the performance of NSC in the last 9 months with 3 months still outstanding.
“The NCS revenue as at September stood at N1 trillion against the budget figure of N969. 8 billion for the year 2019. The Joint Committee commends the NCS for exceeding the targeted revenue despite the global economic challenges and closure of the Nigerian boarders.
“The sum of N557.4 billion from the revenue increment of NCS be used to reduce borrowing by N200 billion and increase capital expenditure thereby decreasing the size of the budget deficit from N1.7 trillion to N1.5 trillion and also increase the total capital available to MDA by N357 billion, from N1.01 trillion to N1.367 triilion.
“The exchange rate of N305/$ should be maintained for economic stability. While more work should done by the Honourable Minister of Finance and all economic advisers and her team on improving the economic growth by increasing the GDP and reducing the inflation rate to single digit.
The Senate also increased the oil benchmark from $55 per barrel to $57 per barrel, representing a $2 increase.
The Senate passed the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) submitted to it by President Muhammadu Buhari last week.
It however retained the exchange rate at N305 per dollar and oil production benchmark at 2.18mbpd as proposed in the MTEF/FSP by the executive.
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