HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO INVESTIGATE ‘NON-REMITTANCE’ Of TAXES BY MULTI CHOICE 28-02-24
By Sadiq Aminu The House of Representatives has directed its Committee on Finance to carry out thorough investigation into the non-remittance of tax revenues amounting to N1.8 trillion ($342 million) owed the federal government by multichoice group.
This was sequel to a motion by a member from Niger State Mr. Abdullahi Saidu during plenary
Mr. Saidu emphasized that the systems audit and investigation revealed enormous indebtedness to the tune of over N1.8 trillion in back total taxes for MultiChoice.
” Multichoice, a prominent multinational corporation operating in Nigeria, has been accused of non-remittance of tax revenues due to the Federation, as evidenced by the suppression of information discovered from the submissions in their home country”
” the Federal Inland Revenue Service had engaged a consultant in 2021 under a Whistle blowing contract to carry out an audit of the tax obligations of Multichoice Nigeria and MultiChoice Africa with a view to ascertaining the Company’s tax indebtedness to the Country”
He pointed out that Nigerian Economy is currently facing significant challenges, with dwindling revenue posing a threat to the overall fiscal stability and development of the Country.
The House also explained that previous attempts by FIRS to recover the unpaid taxes through legal means, including court proceedings and the subsequent resolution to settle out of the court by both parties has not yielded the desired result.
Adopting the motion, the House
cautioned the potential buyers of Multichoice Nigeria, Multichoice Africa operating in Nigeria to be aware of the alleged outstanding indebtedness which may have been covered in their papers.