MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has said that it has cooperated with the authorities and provided relevant evidence to demonstrate full compliance to all extant tax and regulatory obligations, and that discussions were ongoing.
This was disclosed by its company secretary, Mrs Uto Ukpana, in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Ukpana recalled that on January 8, 2020, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation had transferred the case of MTN Nigeria’s alleged indebtedness to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Customs Service for resolution.
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She explained that MTN Nigeria cooperated with the authorities and provided relevant evidence to demonstrate full compliance to all extant tax and regulatory obligations and discussions were ongoing.
She stated, “As recently as 2020, the tax authority commended MTN Nigeria for its prompt payment of dues.
”In addition, when asked earlier, the company agreed to make advance tax payments ahead of established deadlines to support government’s revenue drive.
“This was also the case in 2020 when in response to FIRS appeal to support government, MTN Nigeria made an early payment of its 2019 company income tax (CIT) of N46.9 billion.
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“MTN Nigeria did the same this year between March and June, making early payments of N95.5 billion for the 2020 CIT which was due June 30.”
Ukpana pledged MTN Nigeria’s commitment to conducting its business in accordance with applicable laws.
“We are also committed to contributing to the social and economic development of Nigeria,” she added.
Back story
Recall that Nairametrics reported in September 2018 that the office of Nigeria’s Attorney General demanded that MTN should pay up the accrued sum of $2 billion it owed in back taxes.
The demand came at a time when the company was still trying to finish up with another cash settlement imposed by the government over the company’s alleged fraudulent SIM registration practices.