Hotel owners in Kwara state have accused the state revenue service Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) of extorting, intimidating and harassing its members as well as shutting down their facilities without court orders.
The hoteliers said the intimidation could lead to the collapse of their activities in the state as they currently pay over 20 taxes and levies to the federal, state and local governments.
In a statement they issued in Ilorin, the state capital, Dauda Akande and Babatunde Oladunmoye, president and secretary of the hoteliers association, said there is a lack of synergy between the KWIRS and ministries, departments and agencies in the state that are responsible for fixing and negotiating taxes.
They alleged that the lack of synergy between the government agencies has resulted in crazy bills being served on members as demand notices.
Messrs Akande and Oladunmoye said their members can no longer pay “outrageous bills” due to the economic situation in the country.
“Over regulation and multiplicity of taxes is currently a huge disincentive to investments in Kwara state hospitality and tourism industry.
“KWIRS has been making use of the police to harass, intimidate, arrest, detain and charge our members with criminal acts through lies and conspiracies for matters that are purely civil matters of taxation.
“Our members are being served inaccurate demand notices that include purported bills dating back to Covid-19 era when all hotels were shut down because of the pandemic as backlogs,” the duo said. (Premium Times)
