Kaduna seals off 4 branches of Fidelity Bank over N43.3m tax liabilities

*The Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service says the measure is part of efforts of the state government at encouraging voluntary settlement of all tax liabilities by taxpayers

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

For refusing to settle outstanding tax returns owed the state for nine years, the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service has shut four branches of Fidelity Bank Plc in the state for tax liabilities totalling N43.3 million.

It was gathered the affected branches are located along Ali Akilu Road, Ahmadu Bello Way, Polytechnic Road by Maimuna Gwarzo Junction, and Kachia Road, all in Kaduna metropolis.

Zaid Abubakar, Executive Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service, said the bank’s branches were closed, based on a court order after the Fidelity Bank had declined to pay outstanding tax returns of N43.3 million owed the Kaduna State Government from 2011 to 2020, Channels TV report said.

The Executive Chairman stated that the action taken against the bank is in line with Section (3) and (4) of the personal income tax Amendment Act 2011 and Section 37 (3l and (4) of Kaduna state Tax Codification and Consolidation Law, 2020 as amended.

Abubakar explained that the Management of the bank was served with notices of the tax assessment five times, but the notices were ignored, report said.

The move, the Service stated, is part of efforts of the state government at encouraging voluntary settlement of all tax liabilities by taxpayers.