FIRS seals 10 companies, says time has changed
The enforcement teams of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) over the weekend sealed the business premises of 10 companies that defaulted in remitting their taxes in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital.
Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, state coordinator of the FIRS in Rivers, Edo and Delta State (otherwise called the RED States), who is leading the enforcement drive, told reporters that “the campaign is in line with the directive of the FIRS management to seal up all companies that have refused to file returns and have not paid their tax liabilities”.
“This exercise being carried out throughout the country will be enforced in all the three states within my jurisdiction starting with Rivers state, followed by Edo and Delta states,” he said.
“My simple advice to the tax paying public is that, they should quickly go to the FIRS office nearest to them to file their returns, reconcile and pay up any outstanding liabilities to avoid unnecessary embarrassment because the administration of Mr. Babatunde Fowler is determined to collect every kobo due to government.
“We want to a stop the lukewarm attitude to paying taxes. Time has changed and the attitude towards payment of taxes must change. Tax is the only sustainable revenue source that can help government meet up with its obligations and must be supported.”
Thomas said the FIRS is fully determined to utilize all options available to it to recover all liabilities from all defaulting taxpayers that refused to settle their indebtedness, including the arrest of the CEOs and directors of the defaulting organisations.
How come times have changed only as far as tax collection is concerned? What about all the obligations Government owes us, it’s citizens, that are not fulfilled? How about changing that first?
Reminds me of the VPs comment that Nigeria’s VAT rate is the lowest in the world. So are the indices that measure a country’s well being: insecurity, poor crumbling infrastructure, high inflation rate, erratic, almost non existent power supply etc. What moral right do you have to make that statement with the intention of further burdening your citizens – extracting from them money they need to provide services Government has neglected to do for them?
Really sad!they want to take from the people as usual without providing anything in return. Its always been the citizens that is taxed and stolen from…put something on the ground and justify these taxes. That would be CHANGE!!!