The Niger State Internal Revenue Service (NGSIRS) has advised banks operating in the state, especially those whose branches remain sealed as a result of nonpayment of their outstanding tax liability, to stop the blackmail games and pay their debt.
The management of the service, in a statement in Minna Sunday, insisted that the banks were sealed as a result of nonpayment of their taxes to the state government after several negotiations and efforts failed.
The management apparently responding to a letter written by Niger state bankers’ committee, threatening to close all the banks in the state if the affected branches were not unsealed, argued that such black mail will not work.
NGSIRS stated that the banks were treated as individual corporate entities and not as bankers’ committee, a body with which the Service has no transactions.
Management said,: ” Six of the 8 banks originally sealed having fulfilled part of our demand have been duly unsealed pending further reconciliation.. High level discussions are ongoing with one of the top banks to open their branches Monday.
“It is therefore unfortunate that a body with which the Service has no transactions, will collaborate with CBN officials to threaten the Service from performing its lawful duty of collection of revenue on behalf of Niger state government,” the statement added.
The Service said it sounds strange on why the committee is acting like a registered trade union when the individual banks except for 2 or 3 others have sorted their issues.
The statement appealed to the people of the state, especially those whose branches remain sealed to impress it on their banks to settle their outstanding tax liability to enable them meet their customer’s daily financial obligations.
Eight banks and three other companies were sealed last week Monday for their failure to pay a total tax liability of N460m to the account of the state government.
