The Osun Internal Revenue Service on Monday sealed off Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, over non-remittance of N173 million income tax.
Mr Femi Balogun, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Revenue, who led the team to the university said this in a statement in Osogbo.
Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, is a private tertiary institution located in Ife North area of the state.
Balogun said: “ The tax liabilities covered back duty liability from 2006-2011 and the enforcement is the last stage of any tax process which is in line with Section 104 sub section (1) and (2) of personnel income tax act as amended.
‘’Tax payment is a law and a civic responsibility of all sundries; it is through this effort that government provides massive infrastructural development, security and other amenities.
‘’The Revenue Department will stop at nothing to ensure that every individual performs his civic obligations.’’
He advised the university to “ do the needful by paying up its tax liability to avoid further action of prosecution in a court of law.’’
“ We have commenced the general enforcement on all corporate tax defaulters and within the next few days, the enforcement team will visit all tax defaulters.
‘’We have on our radar corporate institutions like banks owing back duty of withholding tax on bank interest and some other companies that are recalcitrant in fulfilling tax obligations.
‘’It is important to urge all tax payers and companies with outstanding tax liabilities to resolve their tax issues to avoid embarrassment,’’ Balogun said.
While I agree that its civic obligation of any citizen, corporation or institution to pay their taxes timely and efficiently so as to enable govt. to perform its statutory duties, besides it’s grotesque for any government not to do their due process in fact findings before going on bubonic tax parade and also for an esteemed legendary newspaper of Vaguard status to have published this negative news against the citadel of learning is malcontent especially without sheer due investigative journalistic approach. Oduduwa university as we know it, remains a glowing radiance of Oduduwa diety heroic and it should be pride of all Yorubas worldwide. Oduduwa University, barely had is first convocation ceremony for the university first graduates this past Feb. 2014 which officially made the university 4 years in existence (2010-2014) so how did the Osun govt. come up with data that shows Oduduwa university owes from 2006-2011 with tax withholding to the tune of bogus N173million when the university was not even in operation in 2006-2009 tax years all evidence to contrary ? Ignorance is truly bliss. This kind of overture was ill-conceived and amateurishly executed it is totally headshit of failure on behalf of the executor not necessarily on behalf of Osun govt. I know Osun election is around the corner, and I know sycophants are at work. At least they should have shown a modicum of sense to polish this turd behavior. Obviously, they are better way to solicit funds for campaign not just by witch hunting or targeting harmless organizations who were for the greater good of the spring State in terms of youth education , cultural development and corporate social responsibility within the State. The idea of collecting tax in the State is phenomenon, but State must spend time to bring the awareness and plan of his accountability to test first, I pray Ogbeni Aregbesola to use his good offices to power through this situation and find some common ground with the great institution.