The Ekiti State Government yesterday sealed off the
construction site of a Chinese firm at Ado-Ekiti, over an alleged N71.761m tax
default.
The Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Agency, Mr. Isola Akingbade, who led
an enforcement team to the site, explained that the action was consequent upon
the failure of Hongye Ampic Concept Ltd to comply with the Personal Income Tax
Act, PITA, of 2006.
Akingbade stressed that the agency followed due process, adding that the action
was carried out after a court order was duly obtained.
According to him, several earlier efforts were made to ensure payment of the
tax due after it was discovered through a tax audit that the company was
heavily indebted to the state government.
The IRS boss, who condemned the nonchalant attitude of many foreign contractors
to payment of taxes, said that such unwholesome position was not acceptable in
their home countries and cautioned that government would no longer tolerate tax
evasion.
Akingbade wondered why a company whose fleet of heavy duty trucks enormously
contributed to the incessant damage of roads constructed with taxpayers’ money
in the state, would evade tax.
He warned that the site would not be reopened until the company paid the
outstanding tax debt and appealed to individuals and corporate organisations
affected by the development to prevail on the tax defaulters to obey the laws
of the land.
The chairman praised tax payers and emphasised the need for defaulters to
repent in order to enable government have funds to fulfill its obligation to
the people and develop the society.
Meanwhile, the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has flagged off the
construction of Ikere- Ondo state boundary dualisation project aimed at
ameliorating the plight of commuters who ply Ado- Akure road.
The governor said while inaugurating the dualisation of the federal road, which
is in a deplorable condition, was in demonstration of the commitment of his
administration to infrastructure development as enshrined in the eightpoint
agenda.
Fayemi, who said the project was in fulfillment of his promise to the people,
said his government desired to dualise all the major roads leading to the
state, even as the engineering designs of Ado-Ijan and Ado-Iyin-Igede roads had
been prepared.
