The House of Representatives has directed its committees to look into N5 trillion in unpaid taxes by several Nigerian corporations.
The decision to pursue tax defaulters came after Esosa Iyawe’s proposal was adopted during plenary on Thursday.
The House agreed to direct the Public Accounts and Finance Committees to investigate the organizations’ non-remittance and reclaim the money owing to the government.
Moving the motion, Iyawe stated that 5,000 companies owed the Federal Government N5.2 trillion between 2015 and 2019.
He stated that another data claims that in 2021, certain companies failed to remit more than N17 billion.
“Audit reports from 2015 to 2019 which revealed government agencies owing hundreds of billions in FIRS taxes comprising underpayments and under-recoveries and over 5,000 Companies and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government owing (N5.2 Trillion) (five trillion, two hundred billion, Naira in withholding taxes,” he said.
He stated that some of the culprits are multinational corporations that the Federal Government is treating with kid gloves, while small businesses are subjected to multiple taxes.
The motion was taken unanimously without opposition.
The House directed the committees to report back to the in four weeks.