The Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue (OYBIR) on Thursday shut 23 corporate entities and public sector agencies’ premises for failure to comply with their tax obligations, despite several demand and efforts by the tax authorities to make them pay their due taxes.
In a major raid by the Inter-Ministerial Joint Task Force Team in collaboration with the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue (OYBIR), the affected companies and organizations, including the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Oodua Investment Company Limited, the affected business premises were closed in the agencies’ efforts to ensure tax compliance.
The companies and organizations affected by the exercise carried out by the team led by the Chairman of OYBIR, Mr. Bicci Alli, for failing to remit the workers’ Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax and Land Use Charge to the coffers of the state government.
According to the official information on the offences by the affected companies, 11 companies were shut for failing to remit PAYE deducted from their staff to the government while 12 others were sealed for failing to pay the Land Use Charge.
The defaulting entities on PAYE remittance are NIHORT, Agril Nigeria Limited, Bevpak, Fleetwood Garages Limited, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Vintage Rock Nigeria Limited, Virgo Services Nigeria Limited, Wakanow.com limited, Heinemann Edu Books and Mansard Insurance.
Others shut over Land Use Charge payment default include Pentorise Nigeria Limited, UCH Event Centre, Oodua Investment Company Limited, NUT Teachers House and Foodco, Inaolaji Shopping Complex, Nustreams Conference Centre, Labod Civic Centre, Carlton Gate Hotel, Molly Specialist Clinics, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and Wemabod Oodua.
Alli disclosed that about N150 million was being owed on PAYE and about N35 million was owed on Land Use Charge by the affected entities.
He explained: “We are just sending the right signal out that we follow due process. We follow the law and we will not do anything that is illegal in the course of collecting what is due to the state government.
“We will also make sure that irrespective of the person or organisation involved, whether from the federal, state or local government, whatever is due from such organisations, entities, departments and or agencies must be paid and we are using this to also remind other Federal Government-owned ministries, departments and agencies that are still owing to do the needful”, the tax administrator added.
