Jesutofunmi Omowumi
The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, has apprehended about 20 people in Bayelsa State who did not pay up their annual taxes or remit Value Added Taxes collected for the government.
The tax evaders have also been made to sign an undertaking to clear their debts before the New Year.
This comes after intensified efforts from the FIRS to collect outstanding taxes as the agency raided more than 40 premises in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, starting from Saturday. The raid showed that most of the eateries, restaurants and hotels in Yenagoa did not remit VATs collected to the government.
Bayelsa State Tax Director, Patrick Iroro said, “So far, from this exercise and the previous ones, we have arrested over 20 people, and as you are aware, what we are doing is to bring them here, sit down with them and come to terms. Those who have not registered, we make them to register and start filing their returns and those who owe, we make them to understand how to liquidate their debts. But they have to pay some money for defaulting.”
Iroro said the service is currently on enlightenment campaigns that have even extended to trade groups though he sadly declared that most of the groups have not turned up.
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