The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service has
sealed Protea Hotel, close to Kuramo Waters, over alleged failure to remit
N11.07 million personal income taxes deducted from workers’ salaries.
Mrs Ajibike Oshodi-Sholola, Head, Distrain Unit
of LIRS, disclosed this during a statewide tax law enforcement exercise in
Lagos on Wednesday.
The Protea Hotel was earlier sealed by the
service over evasion of N148.88 million consumption and hotel occupancy taxes
on June 9.
The hotel broke the seal without LIRS consent,
payment of the tax liabilities or due resolution of the issue.
Oshodi-Sholola said the tax liabilities were for 2012 tax audit year.
She said, “Before LIRS
gets court order to seal a company, it usually sends at least two letters of
notice to the management of the affected firms reminding them of the tax
liabilities.
“So, both the demand
notice letter and letter of intention to distrain were sent to the management
of the hotel, but they failed to act on them.”
Oshodi-Sholola, who led
the enforcement team, said that it took the team over five hours to
evacuate the management of the hotel out of the premises.
She said, “It was a
difficult task before the management of the hotel, particularly its chairman,
accepted to leave the hotel for the team to properly seal it.”
Mr Ajibola Aribisala, the
hotel Chairman, denied receiving any notice or letter from LIRS.
He said, We have not
received any recent letter from LIRS in respect to the company’s staff personal
income tax.
“I am ready to sue LIRS
for this insult.”
Punch
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