One of Nigeria’s leading telecommunication firm, Globacom, has attracted the wrath of the Osun State Internal Revenue Service (OIRS) who have sealed its offices in the state for not paying outstanding taxes and other levies in respect of mast/ base station and laying of fibre optics.
The Acting Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of OIRS, Dayo Oyebanji said the state took the action because Globacom has refused to comply by remitting all outstanding taxes due it.
According to Oyebanji:
“The distrain action is in line with the provision of Section 104 of the personal Income Tax Act 2004 LFN (as amended in 2011) and will not be reopened for business until all full compliance is attained.”
Oyebanji said the state had held several meetings with GLO’s representatives in the past three years – the latest being on October 8 and November 13, 2015 – to resolve the issue, but that the company failed to comply.
The Osun State House of Assembly also intervened in the matter by inviting Globacom to appear before its special session on December 3, 2015, yet the company’s representatives reneged on their promise to facilitate payment.
Oyebanji added:
“Another important issue is the failure to obtain relevant approval for laying of fibre optics in line with the State’s relevant regulation on physical and urban planning. He emphasized that in the last few months, it has been discovered that GLO has been laying cables and masts especially in Ife Axis without obtaining necessary approval and thus violating the law.”
