Branches of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in Kaduna have on Wednesday been shut down by the Kaduna Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) over an alleged unpaid tax worth ₦14.3million.
The KADIRS Board Secretary/Legal Adviser, Hajiya Aysha Ahmad told newsmen that the exercise was to enforce tax compliance in the state.
“We sent so many demand notices to them. We have asked them to pay the money but they refused, we are left with no other option but to enforce,” she said.
She said the defaulters had been defiant adding that the service is pushing towards tax compliance and will unseal the premises once the outstanding payments are made.
She revealed that the enforcement was targeted towards achieving a ₦120billion revenue target set by the Kaduna state government.
“To achieve a target, there is always a starting point. Sealing UBA branches in the state for tax default is our start. We are also going after all other defaulters to get what is due to the state government.
“We served them with demand notices. We have been communicating with their consultant and Headquarters. In fact, they even took us to court and the outcome was like a win-win situation at the tax appeal tribunal.
“The court gave us directives to review our assessment which we did and they did not still comply. It is on the reviewed assessment we are enforcing this morning,” she stated.
She called on the citizens of Kaduna to ensure voluntary tax compliance as it is their civic responsibility.