Some taxpayers within the North West Zone, comprising Kaduna, Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Kano have challenged arbitrary tax assessments imposed on them by the various revenue services and boards within the Zone at Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) sitting in Kaduna.

    

Organisations that have recently taken their cases to the tribunal include Unity Bank PLC, Silver plastics, Leadway Pensure Limited, Bank of Industry, Access Bank, and Kano State University of Science and Technology Wudil.

Ibrahim Boyi of Ibrahim Boyi and Company, a Kano-based law firm, had on November 11, filed before the tribunal, an appeal challenging the sum of N118.8 million imposed on Silver Plastics by the Kano State Internal Revenue Service.

  

The said the notice was in respect to an outstanding tax liability, assessed by the revenue body to have been due in 2015/2016.

  

The same law firm had successfully challenged the tax assessment imposed on Unity Bank by the Kano State Internal Revenue Service.

    

The demand for N431.92 million as tax due was successfully challenged before the tribunal with the said assessment reduced to N27.4 million within six months.

Umar Adamu leads the northwest zone of the Tax Appeal Tribunal, with Sameerah Abubakar Gwandu, Professor Kabiru Isa Dandago, Professor A.S Bayero, and Professor Ahmed Kumshe as members.

    

Adamu had stated that tax is the very life source of the country and matters about resolving disputes between taxpayers and revenue-generating bodies must be done with dispatch to ensure that taxpayers do not unnecessarily labour under arbitrary demands and/oppressive tax assessments.

  

According to him, taxpayers do not escape or evade the taxes due to the revenue bodies, as the symbiotic relationship between the taxpayer and revenue body must continue to subsist for the good of the society and the demands of government.

  

He further revealed that no matter has remained on the cause list for more than one year, with matters being speedily conducted and brought to conclusion, most times within six months of filing.

  

Also, the Bank of Industry challenged an assessment in the sum of N178.2 million brought against it by the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service and had also reduced to the sum of N15 million.

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