The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, on Monday, sealed four companies in Lagos and Port Harcourt over their failure to meet their tax obligations totalling N630 million.
The affected firms include Charcoal and Spices Restaurant Limited, GRA, Port Harcourt, and Cioscon Nigerian Limited at 14 Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
The leader of the FIRS enforcement team, Mrs. Anita Erinne, sealed both companies after showing a warrant of distraint to officials of the company.
Charcoal and Spices Restaurant Limited owes N12,388,979.50 tax debt while Cioscon Nigerian Ltd has a tax liability amounting to N479,203,464.43 from 2014 to 2016 which the firm has failed to remit.
Erinne told the defaulting firms that the companies’ premises will be unsealed when they clear their outstanding tax bills.
She warned the workers not to unseal or tamper with the FIRS seal until the debts are cleared, stating that any attempt to remove the seals will be a contravention of the law.
Erinne, however, noted that the firms have been officially notified of their indebtedness to FIRS, stating that all the companies’ taxes should be paid before their premises could be unsealed.
In Lagos, the enforcement team of the FIRS sealed Joza Global Service situated at 18, Ribadu Road, Ikoyi, Lagos over a tax debt of over N30.6 million. The FIRS team also sealed-off Spog Petrochemicals Limited situated at 50d, Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos over a tax debt of N105.5 million.
Last week, the FIRS sealed off the premises of tax-owing companies in Abuja. Among these was an educational facility, Fanaks International Schools in the Asokoro area of the federal capital. The school was owing a total of N976,133.57 in Company Income Tax (CIT), Education Tax (EDT) and Withholding Tax (WHT).
Also sealed was Hotel Bahamas International, which was owing N694,045.29 in CIT, EDT, WHT for the 2015 assessment year. Another hospitality facility, Dabiyi Hotels and Suites in Kurudu was sealed over tax liabilities totaling N4,191,996.26 carried over from the 2014 assessment year.

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