ODIRS seals Hotels, Business Center Over Tax Default In Okitipupa, Ore

By John Kayode

Two hotels and one business center have been sealed up by the Ondo State Internal Revenue Services (ODIRS) in Okitipupa and Ore local governments respectively over tax default.

The execution was in line with the High Court judgement delivered by
the State Chief Judge, Justice Williams Akintoroye.

The two hotels sealed in Okitipupa local government are; DOMFAV and MOTH ,while a business center, “Anambra Kitchen which is a subsidiary of Madam Do Good, Akinjagunla’, in Ore, Odigbo local government was also sealed.

In a chat with newsmen, the Senior Revenue Manager, Ondo State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Gregory Afuwape said, the defaulters refused to pay their taxes between 2013 and 2016, despite series of notice served on them.

Afuwape added that Domfav Hotel and suit is owing about N3,400,000 (Three million and four hundred thousand naira only), while the amount owed by two others were not disclosed as at the time of filling this report.

Afuwape noted that it is the constitutional duty of everyone to pay their tax including companies and limited companies.

He said; It all started in 2013 when the tax payer was given assessment to pay his tax liability to the government, between 2013 and 2016 which he was assessed but he didn’t show up for payment.

After every statutory notice has been served on him which he didn’t honour. Thereafter, we served him with pre- action notice, we also served him court process which we call petition that we argued in court.

When got judgement against the tax payer in 2018 ,we thought he would come around for settlement of the liability, but he failed to do so
and that is why we are here for execution after the judgement has matured.

“We have every documents that backed us up that the judgement was made under a statutory authority.”

“Law allows settlement after judgement , even after this enforcement, the law still allows the tax payers to approach the tax authority for settlement.

“If the money is paid today the seal will be removed by court order.”, he said.

He warned against any attempt to break the seal, padlock on any of the properties, saying breaking the seals is a contempt of court, which is liable to 21 years imprisonment.