EDO SEALS BANK PREMISES, MARKET OVER TAX DEFAULT

Edo State government has sealed up the entire branches of a new generation bank in the state and a popular motor spare part market, Evwareke, for alleged failure of the management of the bank and the traders in the market to pay their tax liabilities to the state government.
The bank’s estimated tax liability was estimated at over N155 million.
The spare parts market in the South-South geo-political zone of the country. The traders were alleged to have failed to remit their Personal Income Tax and Pay As You Earn in the past three years.
The sealing up of the bank branches caused panic among hundreds of their customers who went to the bank for transactions and discovered that the premises were sealed up.
Chairman of the state Board of Internal Revenue (BIR), Ese Owie told newsmen that the Board had sent demand notice to the management of the bank but they refused to honour its tax obligation to government.
He said the branches would remain closed until he bank pays all its ax liabilities owned to the state government.
“The board also sealed up over 40 private schools because the proprietors failed to remit their Personal Income Tax and the PAYE. No body will be allowed to carry any tax liability to 2011. All liabilities must be paid before the end of the year,” he stated.