FIRS enforcement team storms Makurdi seal HAF Haven Hotel,Gwalina Hotel ,Treaties Bukka and other businesses in Makurdi over unpaid tax.

The enforcement team of Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS from Abuja, on Thursday sealed off a five star Hotel located at No24 Atiku Abubakar Way, in Makurdi. Benue state.
The team, led by Chinazor Edeh said the hotel belonging to a prominent person has refused to remit VAT to government since 2011; a development he said was unpatriotic.


He gave the management of the hotel 30 minutes to do the payment before executing warrant on them.

The hotel, according to a Warrant of Distraint used by the FIRS team to seal it off, was owing about N13, 518,493.00 unpaid tax liabilities.

The amount was made up of unpaid/unremitted liabilities of the hotel in Company Income Tax, Education Tax, Withholding Tax and Value Added Tax between 2011 to 2016.
Sealing off the hotel was a heavy task for the FIRS team as the management of Hotel led by Mrs. Margaret Hinger insisted that the company is not owing federal government such amount of tax liability.

Hinger admitted that the Hotel is aware of the tax liability saying there was delayed in the payment of the said VAT because the figures were duplicated by audit firm mandated to audit the Hotel’s accounts, disclosing that they have already paid the sum of N700, 000.00 to the tax office in Makurdi and appeal to the team to unseal the hotel as they are willing to pay the over N13 millions.

According to Mr. Edeh, ”I Am ordered by my boss, the Chairman of FIRS Mr. Fowler to seal off the hotel and and am under instrument not to speak with anyone on phone. Please pay the money, we can leave your premises”

The team ordered the Hotel to discharge its guests and the enforcement team locked up the gates while workers of the hotel instantly closed for the day.

Consequently, when the period of grace granted to the hotel management elapsed, the enforcement team has no choice but to proceed with the sealing and closing down of operations at the hotel.

It was at the process of sealing off the premises that a guest who identified himself as Mr. Chukwuemka Chikera disagreed with the FIRS team, saying he is not checking out of the hotel that the action of FIRS was a violation human right and infringement on his privacy.

It took the intervention of security personnel who are members of the team to move him out of the premises.

The team left a part of the entrance to the hotel opened for guests who may not be in when the warrant was executed and may return to pick their properties later.

The team warned the security officers at premises that no business should be allowed to take place inside the premises until the payment of the tax liability.

The next point of call for the team was Treaties Bukka located at Old Otukpo road Makurdi, which according to the Warrant shown to the management of eatery joint, was owing N52 million in unremitted Withholding Tax and VAT from 20013 to 2015.
The team sealed off the kitchens and all other entrances leading to joint.

But the Chief Executive officer of the eatery who refused to identified himself but said he was a government appointee, disputed the warrant insisting the name that was written on the warrant is disputable because his company name is not limited company but admitted that his company collects VATs on behalf of government without remittance.
The enforcement team also sealed off Gwalina Suites Nigeria limited in unremitted Withholding Tax and VAT from 2012 to 2016.

Source The Nation