Lagos Recovers N20Billion Tax From Defaulting Companies

May 22, 2009 14:25, 261 views

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos state government is winning the war against non-payment of tax by companies in the state. It has recovered N20 billion unremitted tax from such companies.

The government lamented that several companies were not remitting tax deducted from their employees to the state government’s coffers. Mr. Tunde Fowler, Chairman, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, disclosed that the money was retrieved from the companies last year. He was optimistic that the state government would retrieve another N20 billion unremitted tax from defaulting companies this year. According to Fowler, the state is making positive impact in the drive to get the people pay tax, but was worried that despite sensitising the public about the need to pay tax, many employers did not remit employees’ tax.

He added that many companies were yet to supply the revenue agency with necessary schedules of tax payment on behalf of their employees, lamenting that only few companies had so far done so. Fowler stated that the schedule would make it possible for the revenue body to monitor tax payment and the actual amount that government was supposed to collect. He added that some organisations belonging to the federal government also engaged in this unwholesome habit of not remitting tax deducted from employees’ salaries. Fowler called on individuals, whose companies were not remitting their taxes to government’s coffers, to report the case to the agency for prompt action and assured them that their identity would not be disclosed.