By Daniel Tyokua
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), has launched its unified automated revenue payment platform, smartax.ng to halt leakages and swell the council’s vault for provision of more infrastructure.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, on Tuesday, the chairman Mr. Christopher Maikalangu said the move would help to stop fraudulent activities of some individuals within the council in the name of tax collection.
He said the initiative which will kick start on January 1st, 2026 would eliminate the setbacks hindering the council from raising chunk amount of money from taxes.
In addition, Maikalangu disclosed that he will inaugurate a Special Revenue Monitoring Task Force and Environmental Cadet that would be mandated to work alongside the AMAC Environmental Cadets, Monitoring team and Environmental Services Department to patrol business districts and communities.
He called on the tax payers not to pay cash to any revenue official nor make transfer to an account that is genuinely from the council.
Maikalangu said, “In line with our promise to eliminate the bottlenecks that have hindered our growth, I am pleased to announce the official commencement of the AMAC Single Account Automation Policy, effective January 1, 2026.
“For too long, our revenue system has been plagued by manual processes that created room for leakages, double taxation, and the activities of unscrupulous middlemen. This has come to an end.
“By transitioning to a fully automated, single-account system, we are: Eliminating Cash Payments: No official is authorized to collect cash. Every naira paid goes directly into the Council’s central account to fund infrastructures, security and services to our people.
“Early next year, I will be inaugurating a Special Revenue Monitoring Task Force and Environmental Cadet.
“This team is mandated to work alongside the AMAC Environmental Cadets, Monitoring team and Environmental Services Department to patrol our business districts and communities.
“Any individual or business found defaulting on payments or attempting to bypass the automated system will be apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
We are aware that some persons within our system may attempt to connive with outsiders. Let this serve as a final warning: the Task Force has been instructed to fish out any staff or agent found diverting AMAC revenue.
” Again, there is no more room for revenue thieves in AMAC. If you steal from the Council, you are stealing from the people, and we will catch you deal with you as such. All business permits, tenement rates, and signage fees must now be processed through our digital portal.
“If you are asked to pay into a private bank account or pay in cash, you are being defrauded. Please report such incidents to our whistleblower hotline immediately which will be made available after the press briefing.
“This automation is about managing our resources to serve you better. We are on the move towards completing the rural electrification and healthcare expansion across our 12 wards of the Council.
We have made this process seamless so you can focus on growth while we focus on infrastructure” He said.
