News
N1.8 trillion tax evasion: Tribunal orders DSTV to pay 50% tax backlog before hearing appeal
The Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) sitting in Lagos on Tuesday, 24th August , 2021 ordered Multichoice Nigeria Limited, owners of popular cable television services, DSTV, to pay 50 per cent of N1.8 trillion which the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has determined through a forensic audit to be the amount in taxes that Multichoice Nigeria Limited had failed to pay to the Government of Nigeria in past assessment years.
The five-member TAT led by its Chairman, Professor A.B. Ahmed, issued the order following an application to it by the Counsel to FIRS.
In a statement by the Director of Communications and Liaison Department, Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad which was made available to CAPITAL POST on Wednesday in Abuja, he said the Counsel made the application under Order XI of the TAT Procedure Rules 2010 which enables a party to make an application at any stage of the proceedings.
Counsel for FIRS drew the attention of the Tribunal to Paragraph 15(7) of the Fifth Schedule to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2007 and urge the Tribunal to direct Multichoice Nigeria Limited to deposit with the FIRS 50 percent of the amount of the Assessment under Appeal as security and a condition that must be fulfilled before the prosecution of the Appeal brought before TAT.
In certain defined circumstances to which the Multichoice appeal fits, Paragraph 15(7) of the Fifth Schedule to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2007 (FIRS Act) requires persons or companies seeking to contest a tax assessment to pay all or a stipulated percentage of the tax assessed before they can be allowed to argue their appeal contesting the assessment at TAT.
Multichoice Nigeria Limited filed the matter at the Lagos TAT following its dispute over FIRS’ issuance of Notices of Assessment and Demand Note in the sum of N1, 822, 923,909,313.94k on 7 April 2021.
The amount constitutes what the FIRS calculated as due in taxation to the Federal Government of Nigeria from Multichoice after an investigation over several months to determine the extent to which Multichoice has been evading taxes in Nigeria.
At Tuesday’s hearing of the matter in Appeal No: TAT/LZ/CIT/062/2021 19/08/2021 (Multichoice Nigeria Limited v. Federal Inland Revenue Service), Multichoice Nigeria Limited amended its Notice of Appeal and thereafter sought through its counsel, Bidemi Olumide of AO2 Law Firm for an adjournment of the proceedings to enable it to respond to the FIRS’ formal application for accelerated hearing of the Appeal and prayer before the TAT directing Multichoice to produce before the Tribunal the integrated Annual report and Management Account Statements of Multichoice Group Ltd for Tax Years 2012 to 2020, among other prayers.
In response, however, the FIRS Counsel asked TAT to issue an order requiring that Multichoice makes the statutory deposit of 50% of the disputed sum.
After hearing arguments from both sides, TAT upheld the FIRS submission and directed Multichoice Nigeria Limited to deposit with the FIRS an amount equals 50 percent of the Assessment under the Appeal plus a sum equal to 10% of the said deposit as a condition precedent for further Hearing of the Appeal.
Thereafter, TAT adjourned the Appeal to 23 September 2021 for report of compliance with its Order and continuation of the hearing, subject to compliance with the Tribunal’s order.
The Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters(Senate), Sen. Basheer Lado, CON, has felicitated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on his 73rd Birthday Anniversary.
Lado in a congratulatory message on Friday in Abuja, described the President as a selfless leader and one who had sacrificed so much for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
He said, “today, we celebrate not just the birth of a man, but the rise of a legacy.
“We celebrate not just the years in your life, but the life in your years.
“We celebrate not just the path you’ve walked, but the footprints you’ve left behind.”
The Special Adviser said the President’s life was a testament to the power of courage, resilience, and faith in the promise of the Nigerian nation.
He commended the ‘President’s determination as well as his relentless effort in ensuring adequate security, economic growth and political stability in the country.
According to Him, President Tinubu’s doggedness and passion for good governance has set Nigeria on a high pedestal in the comity of nations.
“You dreamed when others doubted, you sacrificed when others conformed, and you led when others retreated.
“On this special day, I proudly join millions across Nigeria and the world to salute your strength and celebrate your service,”he said.
Lado prayed for divine wisdom as the President continued to steer the ship of the nation toward renewed hope and greatness.
He further prayed that the glory of the President’s latter years would surpass his achievements in the past.
The Nigerian Council of Legal Education, the academic institute training lawyers before mobilizing for Call to the Bar said, the 2024 Bar Part results would be release any time soon.
The assurance came amid tension by the students who wrote the examination in November and are awaiting release of the results to determine if they have cleared or have to resit papers.
In a memo released and signed by the School management on Friday 28th March, 2025, the attention of candidates and the public was drawn to the fact that the Council has been working on the results and has progressed into a phase where the results will be released soon.
Part of the memo sighted by CAPITAL POST in Abuja said: Candidates who wrote the November 2024 Bar Final Examinations and the general public are hereby notified that the conventional processes leading to the publication of the results after approval by the Council of Legal Education are almost concluded.
“Candidates and the general public are assured that the results will be released shortly.
“The date for the Call to the Bar will be announced as soon as it is approved by the honourable Body of Benchers”, it concluded.
The Northern Senators Forum has expressed its sadness over the lynching of travelers in Uromi, Edo State, saying that they were taken aback over the gruesome killing of innocent Nigerians because of the zone where the victims came from.
The Forum was reacting to the attack that led to death of individuals on 27th March, 2025 while travelling to the Northern part of the country after they were tragically stereotyped as Fulani kidnappers and brutally murdered in a despicable manner.
The Forum in a statement issued by its Chairman, Abdulaziz Yar’adua strongly condemn the killing and described it as a heinous act which must be investigated with the culprits brought to book.
It read: “We strongly condemn this heinous act, which is a clear violation of the fundamental human rights of the victims. We urge the Edo State Government to take immediate action to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this gruesome murder.
“We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for directing the police and other security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident, with a view to arresting the culprits.
“This swift action demonstrates the government’s commitment to upholding justice and protecting the rights of all citizens.
“As stated in Section 41 of the Nigerian Constitution, every citizen has the right to freedom of movement and residence throughout the country. No citizen can be expelled from or refused entry into Nigeria. We must uphold these fundamental principles and ensure that all citizens are treated with dignity and respect.
“We call on the Edo State Government, the security agencies, and all stakeholders to work together to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. We must promote a culture of tolerance, understanding, and peaceful coexistence among all Nigerians.”
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