Tax evasion: LASG shuts six firms

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service on Thursday sealed additional six companies for failure to remit N34.98 million personal income taxes of their workers to the state government.

Assistant Head, Distrain Unit of LIRS, Mr. Olasheni Ajadi, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria after an enforcement exercise.

Ajadi, who led the enforcement team, said the affected companies’ tax liabilities were for period between 12 months to seven years.

She said two of the companies instantly raised cheques to LIRS in respect to their unpaid tax liabilities.

According to him, the two companies that raised the cheques were LadyStar International Nigeria Ltd. and Future View Financial Services Ltd.

“The other four companies, which are GMO, Siktobs Nigeria Ltd., Bibson Engineering and Pricerite Products Ltd, will come to LIRS office at Alausa Secretariat to ratify and pay-off their debts,” he said.

Amadi, however, identified relocation of companies as a challenge facing the team in the discharge of its duties.

He said many companies were either out of business or had relocated to other places.

Ajadi said three out of the 11 companies that were targeted by the enforcement team to distrain had relocated to unknown locations.

“The state is losing huge sums of money because the payable tax amount of the companies that have relocated and those that have moved out of business will not be accounted for,” he said.