Why court ordered NDDC headquarters sealed-off over N50b tax default

• We have settled our outstanding obligations, commission insists

The Rivers State f Internal Revenue Service (RIRS) said it obtained a court order to seal-off the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) headquarters in Port Harcourt over N50 billion unremitted taxes.

Chairman of the board, ThankGod Adoage Norteh, therefore, dared the NDDC to seek redress in court over the closure of its office over the tax default.

Norteh said the state Internal Revenue Board accused the NDDC of insincerity in its tax deductions from its vendors, stating that over the years, letters have been written to the NDDC requesting for access to its books for audit purposes.

He, however, explained that efforts to have access to the commission’s books were all to no avail, a situation, which compelled the board to approach the court to seal-off its office.

“It is the court that gave the order. We went through due process to get the place sealed. We went to court, presented the evidences. We have the letters we wrote asking for payment of the money,” he said.

Norteh wondered why the NDDC has continually refused to subject its books to scrutiny, adding that the board was prepared to sit with the commission anytime to resolve the issue.

But NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Charles Odili, refuted the claim that the commission defaulted in its tax obligations to the RIRS.

“The Commission is surprised that the state revenue agency is claiming an outstanding N50b. Our records show that the figure is not correct.

“It is curious that the RIRS would rush to seal the commission’s office and in the process disrupting activities at its headquarters without notification,” he said.

Odili explained that the NDDC has had cause to discuss its tax obligations with the RIRS officials in the past and all the grey areas were resolved amicably.

To this end, he said it was, therefore, an act of bad faith for the revenue agency to begin to take actions that impugn on the reputation of an interventionist agency.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the commission has as recently as January this year settled its outstanding tax obligations to the RIRS. We have cleared all withholding tax (WHT) on enterprises and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) up to March 2019, including arrears.

“If there is any other outstanding tax obligation or underpayment, it will only come up after reconciliation. Until then, we cannot determine underpayment or overpayment. And our books are open for audit or reconciliation,” he said.