Government Seals ShopRite, SPAR Malls Over Alleged Tax Evasion

The Enugu State Government has sealed a popular retail mall, ShopRite in the state over its alleged failure to remit purchase tax to the government.

The SPAR Nigeria and other retail malls in Enugu State were also sealed by the state government for the same alleged offence.

Some of the malls sealed by the state government included Roban and Mama Onyinye restaurant.

Officials of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS) who sealed the facilities on Tuesday said they had issued several warnings to the management of the facilities, but they were ignored.

The ESIRS’s Head of Department of Eateries, bars, hotels, and shopping malls, Perpetual Egwuonwu, said apart from warnings, the agency also visited the facilities to request evidence of payment of the purchase tax, but they failed to produce any.

Government Seals ShopRite, SPAR Malls Over Alleged Tax Evasion

Ms. Egwuonwu explained that the agency was only enforcing payment of purchase tax on goods that the buyers pay for whenever they patronise the facilities.

She stressed that they had appealed to the management of the facilities to remit their taxes as at when due but “they have been recalcitrant” to date.

“It is worthy of note that after we met with the Roban stores, they displayed our sticker and have complied with remitting their purchase tax to the ESIRS.

“On the other hand, ShopRite has frustrated all our efforts to get them to do the needful. It is always one story or another. Eventually, they promised us that before the end of February, they would do something but we are in March and the ESIRS has not heard from them,” she said.

The official stressed that the malls would remain closed until the issues were resolved.

The spokesperson of the ESIRS, Nnamdi Eneh, told reporters that the agency had been enlightening and educating the people, through the media, on the need to remit their taxes to the government.

“The objective (for sealing the facilities) is not to disrupt anybody’s business but since pleading did not work, this is the only way to compel them to do what they are supposed to do,” Mr Eneh said.