Osun state government has vowed to drag defaulting telecommunications companies, construction companies and other tax defaulters to court, if they fail to pay within seven days.
The Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Tax, Gbenga Akano, made the vow at a press conference held at the board room of the Osun Internal Revenue Service, OIRS, Abere, Osogbo.
Listing the defaulters companies, Akano said Globacom Ltd is indebted to the tune of N7.6billion between 2000 and 2017.
According to Akano, other defaulters are: EMTS Ltd (9Mobile), Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Sammya Nig Ltd, Wetland Construction, LAPO Agric Development Initiative, NTA Ile-Ife, Nigeria Prison and Nigeria Immigration.
Others are, “Nigeria Custom, NSCDC, Nigeria Prison, Service, National Centre for Technology Management, NACTEM, and Centre for Energy Research and Development, CERD.
He said the need to ensure compliance of taxpayers became necessary due to dwindling allocation from the Federal Government and the need to revamp the state economy.
“It is important to intimate you that several demand notices have been issued and various meetings held with these affected organizations, but their imperviousness and persistent indebtedness in spite of various suasive means implored proved abortive.
“Hence, this further action to announce to the whole world the need to begin criminal proceedings of all tax defaulters in the state to ensure that recalcitrant taxpayers are made to face the full wrath of the law.
“The state of Osun government has zero tolerance for tax evasion and avoidance as it is our stand that it is great sin against the human race for injustice to reign.
“Therefore, Osun Internal Revenue Service is set to begin criminal prosecution and make sure that these companies face the full wrath o f the law.
Akano disclosed that the total amount of withholding tax, unremitted PAYE and Development Levy is N12,46,320,224.5.
