By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has sealed the business premises of Phase 3 Telecom and Cilantro Restaurant over tax evasion.
This followed failure of the organisations to heed to the repeated warnings of the unpaid taxes.
Festus Tsavsar, acting Director of Legal Services and the enforcement team, during the exercise on Friday, said the affected businesses had been given ample time to comply but failed to do so.
“Today, we are on this assignment to seal all the premises of the defaulting taxpayers. We have interacted with them, those who are owing us, and they have tax liability, which we’ve demanded several times, and they didn’t pay, and also defaulting taxpayers who have failed to file their annual returns,” he said.
Tsavsar noted that the revenue service had carried out extensive sensitization campaigns to remind taxpayers of their obligations, but some businesses still refused to comply.
“And of course, I’m sure you are aware that we have done a lot of publicity in this regard, calling all the taxpayers and residents of FCT to file their returns, but unfortunately, this category of people do not file their returns. And also, they are owing FCT-IRS tax liability that they refuse to pay over a period of time,” he added.
According to him, after exhausting all diplomatic means, the FCT-IRS approached the court to obtain an order to seal the premises of the defaulting businesses.
“So, in order to do this, the service has gone to court and obtained court orders, and that’s the reason why we are here to seal their premises, because the court has ordered that we should seal their premises,” he stated.
The enforcement team first sealed Phase3 Telecom, located at No. 4 Yedseram Street, Maitama, over outstanding tax liabilities accumulated over three years.
Tsavsar revealed that the company had been issued multiple demand notices but failed to respond.
“The first place we went, which is Phase3 Telecom, they are owing FCT taxes in huge amounts of money. And we have written multiple letters, I think, that is running over three years, that they refuse to pay. Of course, all the demand notices they didn’t attend to. So their own case is a case of owing the tax liability that is due for the service,” he explained.
Similarly, Cilantro Restaurant, with branches in Maitama and Wuse Zone 5, was sealed for failing to file its tax returns for more than three years despite repeated notices.
“Then here (Cilantro Restaurant) is a case of not filing. They have not filed their tax for over three years and that’s why we’re here. The court has given us an order to seal their premises,” he said.
Tsavsar added that the FCT-IRS had made several attempts to engage the businesses in dialogue, but they ignored all invitations.
“We have written them several times, even invited them for meetings, but they have refused to attend those meetings,” he noted.
The FCT-IRS reiterated its commitment to ensuring tax compliance across the FCT and warned other defaulters to settle their tax obligations or risk similar enforcement actions.
Tsavsar noted that while corporate tax filings were due by January 31, individual taxpayers have until March 31 to comply before similar enforcement actions are taken against them
