Alleged tax evasion: Lagos seals 14 firms
July 4, 20194.8K views0 comments
The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service has resumed the sealing of companies and hospitality firms over unpaid consumption taxes.
LIRS sealed 14 firms during its tax law enforcement exercise on Wednesday.
Seyi Alade,the LIRS director of legal services, said that two enforcement teams had been mobilised by the service for the state-wide exercise.
Now, the service has resumed sealing of firms particularly the hospitality firms. It (LIRS) is committed to continuing the exercise until full compliance to tax payment and remittance are achieved,” Alade said.
Alade claimed that less than 65 per cent of the corporate organisations operating in the state pay taxes, saying that many of them operated without any tax remittance to the government.
He called on firms to ensure up-to-date tax payment.
Ajibike Oshodi-Sholola, the head of Distrain unit of the LIRS, said that the two enforcement teams had sealed 14 hospitality firms, including restaurants, hotels and guesthouses.
According to her, the tax liabilities of the affected firms covered from 2014 to 2016, saying that they were audited for the two years but had yet to make payment.
“Before LIRS embarks on sealing, it must send two letters to the management of the affected firm, reminding it of tax liabilities.
“Both the demand notice and letter of intention to distrain were sent to the management of hospitality firms but they failed to act,” she said.