A leading vehicle transporter, God Is Good Motors (GIGM) has responded to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and asked that its name be removed from the list of tax defaulters.
Recall that Nairametrics reported that FIRS published a list of tax defaulters with their different bank accounts placed under lien. The revenue agency listed not less than 19,901 accounts that were yet to regularize their tax status.
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GIGM’s defence: In a rejoinder, the firm stated that it had fully paid its documented tax liability as demanded by FIRS, so it wondered how it could have defaulted after meeting all obligations.
“Our Company, God is Good Motors Nigeria Limited is a duly registered Company in Nigeria with full compliance with the requirements of all relevant Government Agencies one of which is the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
“That the Account name GOD IS GOOD MOTORS (VEHICLE SALES A/C) with Zenith Bank is neither a different Company nor a subsidiary of our company stated above, rather it is the same company but with a modified account name for ease of reconciling our transactions.
“We registered our business with the Federal Inland Revenue Service as far back as 2010 with a Taxpayer Identification Number: 09568000-0001, with all documented tax liability, fully paid up as demanded by the service.
“FIRS has carried out series of Tax Audits on our Company with the latest being May 2018 via a letter from your same head office dated 18th April 2018 and signed by the Director of Tax Audit Department which I suppose you could verify from your internal records.”
The firm also said that no demand notices were served on the firm in any of the branches nationwide as stipulated by the Sections 32 (d) and 33(1) of the FIRS Establishment Act.
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According to the Finance Director of GIGM, Mr Joseph Osanipin, the published list was negatively affecting the company’s business and the deals between its local and foreign partners. He, therefore, urged that the FIRS should exclude the company from the list.
“The FIRS should look into her records to confirm our points as stated in 1– 8 above and update our records with your Agency to avoid any future embarrassment of this nature as our organisation takes issues like this as the topmost priority.
“A counter publication should be made to expunge our company’s name from the list of tax defaulters as this is negatively affecting our mutual business dealings with both our foreign and local partners.”
