Taraba state to Prioritize salaries, gratuities, pensions in 2021

 

Taraba state government has said over N34.39 billion would be used to fund salaries, pensions, and gratuities of its workforce in 2021.

The state Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Solomon Elisha while giving a breakdown of the approved 2021 budget of N141.62 billion on Monday, explained that the new minimum wage was taken into cognizance before arriving at the figure to fund salaries, gratuities, and pension.

He said the N34.39 billion represents 41.8% of the state’s total recurrent expenditure of 2021 which stands at N82.24 billion.

According to him, “the state government plans to spend the sum of N82.24 billion as recurrent expenditure, while the balance of N59.38 billion would be used for capital development.

“Personnel cost has taken the largest share of 41.82% of our total expenditure, followed by the overhead cost of N27.56 billion, which represents 33.50% while recurrent liability has the least with N330 million (0.40%).” Speaking further on how the state government would fund the 2021 budget, Elisha noted said “36.64% would be from the statutory allocation, 14.67% from internal loans, 10.6% from Value Added Tax, VAT, and 6.55% from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.

“From the above analysis, you will agree with me that there is a need for a paradigm shift from dependence on external sources to internal sources. “In this light, all hands have to be on deck for us to explore our abundant untapped resources, to actualize our dream of becoming the leading econ