Tax Appeal Tribunal orders former NBA President to pay N248.5m to FIRS.
The Tax Appeal Tribunal, Abuja on Wednesday, ordered a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Joseph Daudu, SAN, to pay the sum of N.248.5 million to Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS), being his tax assessments.
The sum which comprised N176,565,016.74 as value added tax ( VAT) from 2010-2017 and N71,987,564.52 as withholding tax ( WHT) from 2010-2017, formed the grand total.
The appellant, Daudu, had challenged an alleged N1.2 billion tax error in his taxation allegedly carried out by FIRS, by filing an appeal before the Tribunal.
The Tribunal in addition made an order on the issue of Daudu’s residency in regards to his Personal Income Tax.
In the judgment, the Tribunal equally stated that the appellant was liable to interest on the judgment sum and interest at the prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN) rediscount rate from the date of judgment until judgment debt was liquidated.
Delivering the judgement, the Tribunal Chairman, Alice Iriogbe, said that the Tribunal formulated five issues in order to arrive at its decision.
Some of the issues as formulated by the Tribunal was whether or not the appellant as a legal practitioner, who did not deal in primary goods should be assessed on WHT.
Another issue was whether or not the Tribunal can validly make an order against Economic and Financial Crime Commission ( EFCC), being not a party in the appeal.
Other issues as formulated by the Tribunal was whether or not the Tribunal found anything against the respondent for collaborating with the EFCC in the course of its investigation to ascertain the appellant’s tax assessments.
Others are whether or not the tax assessments on the appellant had become final.
In providing answers to the issues formulated, the Tribunal ruled that the appellant in line with section 40 of the FIRS Act, 2019 that the appellant as a person and legal practitioner was deemed a legal entity was assessable and liable to pay WHT as he rendered, received services and paid remuneration to legal practitioners under him accordingly.
