The Lagos State Government on Wednesday sealed off the Lagos Office of the Media Trust Ltd., publishers of the Daily Trust newspapers, over alleged refusal to remit N5.6 million tax.
Folasade Coker-Afolayan, the Head of Enforcement Unit of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), led a team that closed the office located at 10B ACME Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja.
Coker-Afolayan said that the media house defaulted in remitting its workers’ personal income tax to the state government.
“We decided to seal off the Daily Trust’s office because it owes the Lagos State Government N5.6 million being workers’ income tax for 2011. The media office will not be reopened for business until the tax is remitted,” she said.
Coker-Afolayan said that the state government had written a letter to the management of the organisation on the need to remit the tax.
She said that payment of taxes was a civic responsibility, and that the government needed taxes to provide infrastructure for economic growth and improved standard of living.
She warned that reopening of the office for business activities without remittance of the tax would constitute a criminal offence.
An accountant in the media outfit, who pleaded anonymity, told reporters that the media house was not given enough time to respond to the allegation.
