Edo revenue board seals off NDDC office over N97m tax

Commercial activities at the Edo State office of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) had in the past one month been under locks and keys following its failure to remit N97,423,091 million to the coffer of the Edo State government.

BusinessDay reports that the office of the Federal Government interventionist agency was sealed in August by the management of the Edo State Internal Revenue Services (EIRS).

It was gathered that the sealing of the office was occasioned by a Benin High Court judgment that granted a ‘restraining order to the state revenue service to seal off the Federal Government agency.

In its judgment, the Edo State High Court presided over by Justice Joseph Acha granted the EIRS permission to “restrain upon any land, premises or place of business belonging to the NDDC on Muritala Mohammend Way, by Uwa Street junction, Benin City.”

In his ruling the judge noted that “The applicant is authorised and permitted to restrain against any moveable goods, chattels, bonds or securities or any kind of property belonging to the respondent in satisfaction of their outstanding tax liabilities in the sum of N97,423,091.”

Speaking on the development, the director of intelligence of EIRS, Victor Okuber, said a tax audit carried out on the NDDC between 2005 and 2011 on the basis of withholding and PAYE taxes put NDDC indebtedness at N36 million.

Okube said the NDDC failed to pay until April 2015, explaining that the NDDC paid the N36 million and another audit in 2012 was put at N74 million.

He stated that interest and penalty made it rise to N97 million.

A visit to the commission’s office located on Tuesday revealed that the entrance gate was still under locks and a restraining order was pasted at the gate.

A security man, who pleaded anonymity, said they had been out of work for over four weeks since the office was sealed over failure by the commission to remit N97,423, 091 tax liabilities.