Reps Summon NCS, FIRS, Others over unremitted taxes

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts on Wednesday summoned the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, the Ministry of Industry and the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority to clarify allegations of non remittances of taxes to the federation account by major players in the maritime sector.

This happened during an interactive engagement with major players in the sector at the National Assembly by members of the constitutional committee who sought to know if Tenaris Global Services Nigeria Ltd remitted taxes to the relevant government agencies.

The company had appeared before the House Committee following a petition by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation against its perceived  Sharp practices

Chairman of the Committee Hon. Oluwole Oke (Osun, PDP), while grilling the representatives of the company  lamented that most of the oil companies in the zone were deliberately shortchanging the Federal Government with the connivance of government agencies.

Oke said that  the relevant government agencies would be invited to the give more insight into the tax compliance status of the company at the next public hearing.

He declared that the Committee was not out to witchaunt the companies but rather acting on the petition received from the appropriate quarters for the Government which must be thoroughly investigated by the Parliament .

Other agencies that appeared before the Committee are the Federal Character Commission and the Bureau of Public Procurement who submitted various documents for the defence of the various queries raised against them by the Auditor General of the Federation.