FIRS Demands over N3bn Unremitted Taxes from Cross River

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has commenced moves to recover over N3 billion from taxes and other deductions made by the Cross River State Government from contractors and other sources, but were not remitted to the federal government as statutorily provided.

The move came to the fore during a recent visit of a delegation of the service to the state to discuss the way forward on how to get the money remitted to the service.

Led by the coordinator of the FIRS for Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Cross River State, Mr. Innocent Ohagwua, officials of the FIRS met with the state deputy governor, Professor Ivara Esu , in his office where they spoke of their mission to recover the unremitted funds for the federal government.

According to extracts of recordings of the meeting held last week which were made available to some newspapers, the FIRS coordinator said: “So, we are here sir, to raise some of the outstanding issues, and some of those outstanding issues. Without wasting your time, if we need to quantify it in terms of outstanding, they are in excess of N3 billion.”

Ohagwua said though the FIRS would prefer the arrears of outstanding deductions, especially taxes deducted from contractors and others, to be remitted service in bulk sum, they were prepared to provide a window of opportunity to the state to make such remittances in instalments.

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