BIRS seals more schools and institutions in Benue state defaulting in the payment of Tax/Levies.

The Benue State Internal Revenue Service, BIRS today continued its clampdown on tax evaders by sealing three more schools in Makurdi, Gboko and Konshisha local government areas.

In today's exercise, Leadership Preparatory Academy ,Kanshio, Fine Pearl Academy,Gboko and First Step Nursery and Primary School,Tse-Agberagba were all locked and sealed by a team of enforcement officers from the BIRS.

The first point of call by the team was the Leadership Preparatory Academy, Kanshio where it met the principal and members of staff in their offices. Having served the management with a copy of the court injunction, the team with the aid of the Law enforcement agency immediately went ahead to evacuate everyone in the premises and subsequently locked the school and placed seal of notices on them.

At the Fine Pearl Academy, Gboko and First Step Nursery and Primary School,Tse-Agberagba, the team however did not meet anyone on ground as the schools were on vacation, but that did not stop the enforcement team from doing the needful.

According to the leader of the enforcement team, Mrs. Mimi Adzape-Orubibi, the board had served notices three times to the schools after the demand notice ab initio to enable them remit their taxes/levies liabilities but they refused to comply after which the board sort and obtained a court injunction to seal their premises.

She explained that the exercise was not done to witchhunt anyone but to serve as a deterrent to those who are tax evaders and sued for understanding and cooperation from the people as the action was done in accordance with the provisions of Section 104 of the Personal Income Tax Act, 2011 (as amended) and section 41(1),(3)&(4) of the Benue State Revenue Administration Law, 2015. The Executive Chairman added that Banks, Hospitals, Pharmacies, super markets and other businesses who are found wanting on taxes/levies should get ready to be visited in the days ahead.

It would be recalled that on Friday last week, 15th July, 2016; the Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) commenced enforcement on tax defaulters in the state. In that exercise, Ashi Polytechnic, Daddy Memorial School, St. Joseph Secondary School and Kindagat Nur/Pri. School were visited. While the trio of Daddy Memorial School, St. Joseph Secondary School and Kindagat were sealed, having evacuated everyone in the premises and served the court order, Ashi Polytechnic could not be sealed because the proprietor of the institution, Chief Dr. Terkula Suswam paid the taxes/levies liabilities of the school immediately the enforcement team arrived.

Terna Francis
Media Assistant to the Executive Chairman