Tax Evasion: Lagos Shuts 20 Hotels, Event Centres

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service has shut 20 hotels, restaurants and event centres because of their failure to remit taxes.
The Director of Legal Services of the LIRS, Mr Seyi Alade made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of a tax law enforcement exercise, conducted in Lagos, yesterday.
Alade said the affected firms owed the State Government a total of N295.49 million, adding that the state had started full enforcement of all aspects of the tax laws on tax defaulters.
He named some of the shut facilities as Bienvenue suite Ltd., Ajaxbel Hotel, Mayor Hotel, Lafun suites, Darahamson Guest Palace, Mozarella Hotels, among others.
According to him, sealing of hotels and other facilities will be eradicated, due to the coming into operation of the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption (Fiscalisation) Regulation, 2017.
He said the new regulations had made it mandatory for all hotels, restaurants, event centres and other entities liable to consumption taxes, to allow integration of the Electronic Revenue Assurance Systems (ERAS).
“ERAS is a software application or device that issues invoices and receipts to consumers, bearing a unique QR code, detailing the items and/or services ordered and in an embedded automation of consumption tax remittance in real time.