Abia state Governor T.A. Orji has directed that the state Board of Internal Revenue, suspend the sealing of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company premises in the state to avoid any hardship such legal tussle may cause Abia citizens and other residents.
The state government explained that though the sealing of the EEDC offices in Abia was purely a judicial matter, it is more interested in the comfort of citizens.
In a statement signed by the state commissioner for information, Dr. Eze Chikamnayo, the government accused the EEDC of showing bad faith in an earlier agreement with the State’s Board of Internal Revenue.
The statement said that between 2006 and now, the company had a PAYE tax liability to the tune of N623m but the amount for which judgment was given is N417m which covers between 2006 and 2011 and EEDC refused to pay but instead proceeded to get an order for stay of execution from the court.
“However, the company came to a meeting with the BIR on the 5thof December 2013 and it was resolved that the Board should grant the EEDC two weeks from the 5th of December 2013 to enable it to liaise with the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company for the payment of the outstanding liability.
The EEDC further asked for the 20th January 2014 as the date for the payment of the liability failure which the law will take its course, but, in an apparent display of bad faith, the EEDC went behind to file a suit in the High Court for Stay of Execution Order.” The commissioner said.
The state government however advised EEDC to reciprocate this gesture by expeditiously paying-off its outstanding debt with the BIR as promised to avoid further embarrassment.
