The Kaduna and Kano State governments through their Boards of Internal Revenue have taken some federal government agencies to the North West Zone of the Tax Appeal Tribunal, sitting in Kaduna for failure to remit taxes to them.
Specifically, the Kaduna State Board Of Internal Revenue, (KSBIR) on Wednesday, the 28th of November 2018, the dragged the Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU) Zaria, before the Tribunal, with respect to unremitted PAYE (Pay as you earn) and withholding taxes, totaling N6,169,774,658. which were all taxes due but unremitted to the Kaduna State Government, between the years 2007 and 2012.
The tribunal, which has just been newly reconstituted, with Umaru M. Adamu as Chairman, Abubakar Gwandu Sameerah, Bayero A.S Mohammed, Dr Ahmed Kumshe, Isa Kabir Dandago, as Commissioners, also attended to tax issues against Kaduna Polytechnic, brought before it for unremitted personal income taxes and withholding taxes, for the period, 2007 and 2012, totaling, N3,346,864,461.06.
Similarly, the Kano State Board of Inland Revenue will on Thursday, the 29th of November, brought before the tribunal, appeals to determine whether they were entitled to recover from the National Orthopedic Hospital and another, the sum of N18,672,474,25, being also withholding and PAYE Taxes, due for the 2011 and 2012 year of assessment.
It also brought before the tribunal Bayero University Kano, alongside the Hon Minister of Education and the Hon Minister of Finance with respect to withholding taxes and PAYE taxes, for the 2004, to 2009 year of assessment, in the sum of N1,829,842,076.96.
Also brought before the TAT via various appeal for determination, was the National Independent Electoral commission (INEC), in the sum of N200,021,335.96; the Standards Organization of Nigeria, in the sum of N17,303,000.00; the National Examination Council (NECO) in the sum of N17,732,000.00.
Others are, the Federal College of Education Bichi, in the sum of N250,492,645.10, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), in the sum of N31,141,588.03; the Joint Matriculation Board (JAMB), in the sum of N5,447,673.07; Hadejia Jamare River Basin Authority, in the sum of N129,355,083.02; and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), for non-remittance of the sum of N21,142,557.30, being unremitted PAYE and Withholding taxes.
Also dragged before the TAT was the Federal College of Agriculture, for alleged non-remittance of the sum of N6,870,862.91 being unremitted PAYE and Withholding taxes, due for the year of assessment 2009 to 2013.
The Chairman of the North West Zone, Barrister Umaru Adamu, while addressing critical stakeholders during the course of the tribunal sessions, urged all tax payers, members of professional bodies, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chartered Institute of Taxation, ICAN and ANAN, to avail themselves of the services of the Tribunal, as the purpose is to give succor to tax payers and engender confidence in the tax process.
He also called on all relevant State Boards of Internal Revenue, in Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Jigawa, to emulate the Kano State Board of Internal Revenue that had brought before the Tax Appeal Tribunal, defaulting tax payers, owing the State, in excess of three billion naira.
Adamu also assured all the stakeholders of timely hearing of their appeals, as the tribunal, was the only body currently in Nigeria, operating a fully automated court and a case flow mechanism that guarantees the disposal of all disputes within 90 days.
