Four companies, namely Dangote Flour Mills, Fidelity Bank, MTN Nigeria and Obajana Agrosacks Limited have been dragged by three state governments to a Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) for North Central Zone sitting in Jos, Plateau State, for alleged tax evasion worth millions of Naira.
The companies were sued by the governments of Benue, Kogi and Kwara States. While Dangote Flour Mills was sued by Kwara State Government, Fidelity Bank Plc and Obajana Agrosacks Limited were sued by Kogi State Government and MTN Nigeria was dragged to the TAT by Benue State Government.
At the mention of the cases before the tribunal, the Chairman, Mr Richard Bala, urged the parties to the cases to cooperate so that the tribunal could handle their matters expeditiously without sacrificing justice.
The Tax Controller, FIRS, Jos, Plateau State, Mr Joel Emmanuel, expressed belief the tribunal would hear the cases and address the lingering challenges usually encountered by revenue agencies in the collection of tax.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Plateau State Internal Revenue Service Board, Mr Arlat Dashe, was optimistic that the tribunal would relieve the board of all the pains it had been going through in getting its income tax remitted from federal government agencies..
Statutorily, the TAT is empowered to adjudicate over disputes arising from Companies Income Tax Act, CAP. 60 LFN 1990, Personal Income Tax Act No. 104, 1993; Petroleum Profit Tax Act CAP. 354 LFN 1990; Value Added Tax Act No.102,1993 and Capital Gains Tax Act CAP. 42 LFN 1990.
Currently, there are six TATs established by the Federal Government to sit on tax cases in the geo-political zones with a view to ensuring that justice is dispensed expeditiously and in line with extant tax laws in the country.
