The Borno State Inland Revenue Service (BO-IRS) yesterday sealed 30 business premises including shopping plazas over N23.8 million tax liabilities.
Executive Director of Enforcement and Board Secretary of BO-IRS, Barr. Ardo Buba, told Daily Trust in Maiduguri yesterday after the exercise, that it had obtained a court order to seal the shopping plazas for defaulting.
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The affected shopping plazas are Fadila Shopping Complex, Gudumbali Plaza, Royal Shopping Complex, Kwali-Kwali Plaza, among others.
Buba said the action was in line with the provisions of Section 104 (3) and (4) of the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2011, and Section 54 and Section 109 of the Tax Codification and Consolidation Law, 2020, as amended.
He said, “Before BO-IRS embarks on sealing, it must send two letters to the management of the affected owners, reminding it of tax liabilities. We served them notice twice but they all failed to honour it. These shop/plaza owners are yet to receive a Personal Income Tax of N23.8 million.
“We were left with no option but to go to court and obtain the order to close the offices and recover the tax due to the state, and the exercise will continue until all comply with tax law.
He said the tax liabilities are based on assessment from 2021, adding that the service has served them notice several times but they refused to oblige.
He admonished other business operators in the state to settle their outstanding tax liabilities or face the same fate.
