Yemisi Izuora
The Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), has shut three banks and three other establishments in Makurdi metropolis for defaulting in payment of their taxes.
The defaulting banks include Access Bank, UBA and Ecobank while other establishments such as Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority (LBRBDA), Nile Drill Technology Limited and Ostrich bakery are affected.
Chairman of the board, Mrs Mimi Adazpe-Orubibi, who led her team on the exercise, said that the affected organisations defaulted in the remittance of their staffers PAYEE and other taxes as well as levies.
Orubibi added that the organisations are expected to within 14 days after the sealing of their premises respond by paying what they owed the BIRS or the board would obtain an order from the court to auction property of the establishments concerned to recover their monies which totals over N900million.
She posited that the Ecobank owes a tax of N168.5 million between 2009 and 2014, LBRBDA is indebted to the state between 2011 and 2014 with a total sum of N225.5million while UBA was sealed for its non-remittance of N186.2 million for the period between 2009 and 2014.
Others are Access Bank locked up for N141.3million between 2009 and 2014 just as Nile Technology piled up unpaid taxes of N4.9million for the period of 2014 and 2015 and Ostrich bakery owing N47.8 million between 2009 and 2014.- Daily Trust.