The Plateau State House of Assembly has jerked up the 2021 appropriation bill to over N147bn from the N133bn earlier presented to it by Governor Simon Lalong.
“The adjustment in the figure was done by the lawmakers to accommodate more interests before passing the bill which has now been signed into law by the governor,” the Governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Macham Makut told The Punch in Jos on Friday.
He disclosed that the governor signed the 2021 budget on Thursday night including the state anti-kidnapping law.
According to him, the governor while signing the 2021 bill into law consisting of N90.19 billion as recurrent and N57.34 billion as capital expenditures pointed out that the budget will focus on areas that will stimulate economic growth and recovery particularly as the year begins under the second wave of COVID-19 which has affected the economy adversely.
He said, “With the successful passage of the 2021 budget within record time, we shall now settle down to implement the budget vigorously. As we face the second wave of COVID-19, we shall continue to appeal to our people to observe all protocols so that we do not have any reason to lock down again and further hurt the economy”.
Lalong said the government will in the 2021 fiscal year support businesses that will hopefully grow and in turn pay taxes especially now that the state has signed into law the new tax law for development.
