The Kano State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) on Tuesday sealed five branches of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) over tax evasion. This made many customers of the bank to be stranded.
The closure of the popular bank, according to the agency, is in line with an order issued by Kano State High Court over the bank’s failure to audit and pay its taxes between 2014 and 2019. The affected branches include Murtala Muhammad Way, Wapa, Zaria Road, Bachirawa and France Road.
Briefing newsmen during the exercise, the Legal Director of the agency, Barrister Bashir Yusuf Madobi, said the bank’s refusal to pay the amount accruing to N1,005,687,755.55 or release some of their audit reports forced the agency to take the action.
He said, “What irritated us to take this action is that right from the initial stage, we demanded some documents from them which they failed to honour us and give us the documents.
“As a revenue authority, KIRS is saddled with the responsibility of enforcing payment of taxes. One of the procedures we follow in order to enforce payment of due tax is by instituting a court case before a competent court. So, we decided to file this case before the State High Court on ex parte application.
“This is why we went there today to enforce the judgment and enforce the payment of due tax as provided under the extant revenue laws. “The money is over N1bn. The next line of action is for them to come so that we sit down and sort it out if they are willing to do so,” Barrister Madobi said.
On the condition for reopening the sealed branches, KIRS said the bank must pay a minimum of 25 per cent of the liability and provide the earlier requested documents.
