The
Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has sealed Protea Hotel,
close to Kuramo Waters, over alleged failure to remit N11.07 million
personal income taxes deducted from workers’ salaries.
Ajibike Oshodi-Sholola, Head, Distrain Unit of LIRS, disclosed this
to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during a state-wide tax law
enforcement exercise in Lagos on Wednesday.
NAN recalls that the same Protea Hotel was sealed by the revenue
service over evasion of N148.88 million consumption and hotel occupancy
taxes on June 9.
It also recall that the hotel broke the seal without LIRS’s consent,
payment of the tax liabilities or due resolution of the issue.
Mrs. Oshodi-Sholola said the tax liabilities were for 2012 tax audit year.
“Before LIRS gets court order to seal a company, it usually sends at
least two letters of notice to the management of the affected firms
reminding them of the tax liabilities.
“So, both the demand notice letter and letter of intention to
distrain were sent to the management of the hotel, but they failed to
act on them,” she said.
Mrs. Oshodi-Sholola, who led the enforcement team, said that it took
the team more than five hours to evacuate the management of the hotel
out of the premises.
“It was a difficult task before the management of the hotel,
particularly its chairman, accepted to leave the hotel for the team to
properly seal it,” she said.
Ajibola Anbisala, the hotel Chairman, denied receiving any notice or
letter from LIRS, saying that the team had no authority to just come and
seal the hotel.
“We have not received any recent letter from LIRS in respect to the company’s staff personal income tax.
“I am ready to sue LIRS for this insult,” he said.
(NAN)
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