Government shuts six firms over N32.17m tax evasion

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has shut six companies for failure to remit a total of N32.17 million deducted as personal income tax of their employees to the state government.

Mrs Ajibike Oshodi-Sholola, the Head, Distrain Unit of LIRS, disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

Oshodi-Sholola said that the companies were audited by LIRS about one to five years ago, but the companies had not been meeting their tax obligations to the state till date.

She said that the period of the tax liabilities of the companies were from 2009 to 2013.

She said that LIRS went to court and obtained an order to seal the companies since they refused to pay these taxes after many years of been audited.

She said that tax payment was a civic responsibility of everyone and that companies had no reason for not remitting taxes of workers to the government.

According to her, the affected companies are into communication, security management, shipping and pharmaceutical, among others.

Oshodi-Sholola, however, advised that companies could contest or object to tax liabilities given to them within time allowed for consideration by the service.

She said that the service usually gave 30 working days after the demand notice letter was issued for companies to contest or object to tax liabilities.

According to her, large numbers of firms usually object or contest their liabilities after the time allowed.

He said this was the reason the LIRS was not acting on their requests in most cases.

“If a company thinks they are not contented with the liability given to them, they can contest it and the LIRS may amend the debt.