‘Why FIRS Men Invaded Umuahia’

An enforcement team from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Wednesday visited Umuahia, the Abia State capital, to enforce compliance with the remittance of the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Many supermarket operators, who got wind of the presence of the team, shut their shops for fear of arrest.

The leader of the team from Abuja, Mr Stephen Abu, said in an interview with newsmen that the measure followed report from FIRS in Abia that 14 supermarkets were defaulting in the remittance of VAT.

Abu, who is a director in the organisation, explained that the team was not in the state to arrest defaulters, but to educate them on their statutory obligation to the nation.

“We are here to find out how we can help them to comply with the tax law. It is a criminal offence not to even register for VAT payments.’’

He said the organisation would give the proprietors a grace period but warned that “thereafter, FIRS will take legal action against those violating the tax law and depriving the Federal Government of its legally collectible revenue.’’

Abu said that FIRS had carried out adequate public enlightenment campaign on VAT, arguing that “nobody should claim ignorance of the existence of VAT in Nigeria.’’

He said the FIRS commenced enforcement of VAT remittance by supermarkets, following unsuccessful attempts in the past to persuade them to comply with the tax law.

He directed all the proprietors of the supermarkets to take immediate steps to reconcile their VAT payments with the Umuahia office of the organisation.

Responding to questions from the enforcement team, some of the shop attendants who presented themselves on the pretext that their “masters’’ were not around, said that they were not aware of the VAT regime.

Mr Sunday Ogbokiri, the manager of a supermarket in the area, told newsmen that he was not aware of VAT, saying his son, who owned the shop, was resident in Aba.