Lagos Seals, Unseals Daily Trust Office Over PAYE

Lagos State Government on Wednesday sealed the Lagos office of Media Trust, Publishers of Daily Trust Group of Newspapers over alleged refusal to remit N5.6 million tax to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service.

Head of Enforcement, LIRS, Mrs. Folasade Coker-Afolayan led a team that closed the office located at 10B ACME Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja.
Coker-Afolayan said that the media house defaulted in remitting workers’ personal income tax to the state government under the Pay As You Earn policy, PAYE.

“We decided to seal off the Daily Trust’s office because it owes the Lagos State Government N5.6 million being workers’ income tax for 2011.
“The media office will not be reopened for business until the tax is remitted,” she said, adding that that the state government had written a letter to the management of the organization on the need to remit the tax.

She said that payment of taxes was a civic responsibility, and that the government needed taxes to provide infrastructure for economic growth and improved standard of living. She warned that reopening of the office for business activities without remittance of the tax would constitute a criminal offence.

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When our correspondent contacted the Bureau Chief Mr. Kayode Ekundayo he said the Lagos state government officials from Internal Revenue Service stormed and sealed their Lagos office in the early hours of Wednesday.

“ It was not a case of harassment . There are some payment we made that has not been reconciled between our company and the Lagos Internal Revenue Service but it was later resolved and our office was reopened”.