Reps speaker warns telecom firms against tax evasion

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has warned telecommunications firms in the country against tax evasion.He said tax payments were constitutional requirements for individuals and corporate organisations in Nigeria.

Dogara, who spoke yesterday at the opening of investigations by ad-hoc committee investigating operational activities of telecommunications equipment and service companies and vendors in Nigeria, said it was in view of allegations that some of the firms were evading taxes that the House mandated the ad-hoc committee to conduct the probe.

“It is important, perhaps, to remind ourselves at this point that all non-human persons are the creation of law and therefore, it’s incumbent on organisations doing business in Nigeria to conduct their business in line with the constitution, the law as well as all rules and regulations governing the industry in which they operate, including the present administration’s zero tolerance for tax evasion,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the panel chairman, Ahmed Abu, at the forum, said that lawmakers had commenced investigation into tax-related activities of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) from 2005 till date.

Abu, who stated that the committee had also invited all executive chairmen of the service who presided over the affairs of the organisation within the period, said besides FIRS, others invited to appear before the committee tomorrow include the Minister of Communication Technology, Adebayo Shittu; Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), MTN Nigeria Limited, Globacom Nigeria, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Airtel Nigeria and National Lottery Commission (NLC) and other relevant stakeholders in the industry.