Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), has frowned at the siege on its corporate headquarters by members of the United Traders Union, representatives of some civil society groups and tenants of some distrained properties, over the seal off and alleged high tax assessments served on them.
Reacting through a statement made available to The Nigerian OBSERVER, Head, Corporate Communications, EIRS, Mr. Courage Eboigbe, stated that the protest was unfounded as it was premised on misinformation.
He stated that the protest on July, 30, 2018 by the aggrieved aforementioned parties was unfortunate as the revenue service as part of its processes and procedures, embarked on its tax enforcement exercise based on subsisting Court Order by sealing off properties of some individuals indebted to the State Government in outstanding tax liability spanning over five years.
Eboigbe enlightening on the processes and procedures of the service, upheld that the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), was a revenue generating authority established by Edo State Revenue Administration Law, 2012.
Also, the Personal Income Tax Act 2004 (as amended), empowered the service to assess individuals residing in the state to tax and the administration of the presumptive tax regime, signed and gazetted by the Federal Ministry of Finance was still in force.
Eboigbe stated that the properties in question, belonged to the debtors- who were landlords and not the tenants/occupants of the property as erroneously believed.
He stated that payment of personal income tax was an individual obligation, as the Personal Income Tax Act did not recognize the payment of personal income tax through unions or associations.
Eboigbe stated that the EIRS in the cause of carrying out its duties had unsealed many of the properties whose landlords have settled their outstanding tax liabilities and findings by the EIRS, revealed that some landlords of distrained properties, rather than settling their outstanding tax liabilities, resorted to the use of blackmail, deceitfully misinforming their tenants on the position of their own personal income tax indebtedness to the state, the resultant effect, being the protest, over the sealed off properties, motivated by such tax evading landlords.
He nonetheless avowed that the EIRS would not engage in illegalities nor be blackmailed by individuals or groups, who chose not to comply with the relevant tax laws since the seal off of the buildings of the tax evading landlords was carried out after obtaining a valid court order.
He put forth that the actions of these landlords amounted to tax evasion which was a criminal offence by law and the actions of these landlords was in flagrant disregard for the decision of the court of law and other law abiding tax payers.
Reassuring the public concerning its service delivery, Eboigbe stated that the EIRS would always render value added services to taxpayers in Edo State, ensuring transparency, accountability and taxpayer’s’ confidence.
