Business
LIRS shuts down 34 companies, 23 hotels for tax evasion
The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has closed down 34 corporate organisations and 23 hotels for failing to remit personal income taxes (PIT) of their employees and consumption taxes, respectively.
In a statement on Tuesday, Monsurat Amasa-Oyelude, LIRS’ head of corporate communications, said Seyi Alade, LIRS director of legal services, disclosed the shutdown while addressing a state-wide tax law enforcement exercise conducted by the service on Monday.
Alade said the tax liabilities of these companies and hotels amounted to more than N356.12 million, adding that this has caused the state a huge loss in revenue.
He said the agency had previously reduced its enforcement activities to promote voluntary compliance by taxpayers, however, certain companies and hotels chose to engage in tax evasion.
“Therefore, the renewed enforcement activities of the Service are targeted at such companies, restaurants, hotels, and event centres,” the director said.
The primary goal is to secure compliance with the remittance of consumption and personal income taxes, enabling the Lagos state government to carry out projects intended for the well-being of the vast populace resident in Lagos.
“These companies deduct PIT from their employees’ salaries at the end of each month, and charge consumption taxes on goods and services purchased by customers.
“Unfortunately, some unpatriotic firms choose to withhold these payments, illegally converting the funds for their own use.”
According to the statement, Alade also said failing to file tax returns or engaging in tax evasion are considered criminal offences that may result in financial penalties and, in some cases, custodial sentences upon conviction.
He warned that the enforcement exercise shall be a continuous one, adding that all erring companies, hotels, restaurants, and individuals in the state will be visited if they refuse to regularise their tax positions immediately or if they fail to comply with all extant tax laws operational in Lagos.
Some of the companies shut down by the service include:
NTS Nigeria Ltd
Med-In Hospital & Pharma Services Ltd.
Danvic Petroleum Int’l Ltd.
Business Intelligence Technology
Avaya Nigeria Ltd.
Gladstone Tech Ltd.
Courier Plus Services Ltd.
Kurioucity Ltd.
Medilag Ventures Ltd.
Future Oilfields
Seven Six & Ten Limited
Some of the hotels shut down by LIRS include:
Blitz Suites & Hotel
Offshoroomz Hotel
God’s Grace Hotel
De Orange Place Ltd.
De Santos Hotel
Kentade Hotel Limited
Chamcee
Chelsea Suites
Falode Hotels
High Climax Hotel
Chez Moi Apartment
Excellence Hotel
Bereans Venture (Tantalizer Ebute Metta)
La Avril Hotel & Suites
De Orange Place Ltd.
Milaco Guest House
New World Inn
Model Motels Ltd
Rely Maritime Ltd
4 Seasons Hotel
Dream Land Hotel
343 North Restaurant and Lounge
Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant
Business
31m users exposed as Wayback Machine suffers data breach
The details of 31 million users have been exposed after Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine suffered a hack.
Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library that offers millions of free books, movies, audio files, and billions of saved web pages in the Wayback Machine that would have been lost or deleted.
An illicit pop-up on the Internet Archive on Wednesday announced that the site had suffered a major data breach.
“Have you ever felt like the Internet Archive runs on sticks and is constantly on the verge of suffering a catastrophic security breach? It just happened. See 31 million of you on HIBP!” users reported seeing on the landing page after the hack.
HIBP, an acronym for Have I Been Pwned, is a tool that confirms if email addresses previously suffered a data breach.
Troy Hunt, HIPB creator, confirmed that the breach was legitimate.
According to Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive founder, the organisation fended off a DDOS attack.
Kahle said the library also disabled the JS library after hackers defaced the website via the portal, scrubbed systems, and upgraded security.
“Will share more as we know it,” Kahle tweeted.
A pop-up on the Wayback Machine urged users to ask publishers to restore access.
Business
FG launches portal for vehicle owners to convert to CNG and pay later
The federal government has launched a website that allows users to convert their petrol-powered vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG) and pay later.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) announced the new initiative on its X handle in a statement on Tuesday.
“Switching to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is now more accessible than ever,” NOA said.
“With flexible payment plans tailored to fit your budget, transitioning from petrol to CNG has never been smoother or more affordable.
“These payment options allow you to convert your vehicle now and pay later with affordable monthly instalments at competitive rates.”
The agency said with an easy online application and quick approval process, beneficiaries would be supported every step of the way, to ensure a hassle-free experience.
“Visit: gocng.ng to get started,” NOA said.
According to the agency, the benefits of CNG include cost savings, environmental impact, enhanced engine life, safety and reliability, as well as proven technology with a track record of safety and dependable performance.
On October 7, the federal government launched a portal that would allow youths to access CNG-powered tricycles.
In his remarks, Michael Oluwagbemi, project director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the presidential CNG initiative (P-CNGi) said the initiative would enhance the economic well-being of Nigerians by reducing dependence on petrol.
Business
Nigerian Air Force direct short-service application opens October 14 (Apply Here)
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says applications for the direct short-service cadets (DSSC) programme will open on October 14.
In a post on X on Wednesday, NAF said online registration will end on November 26.
The NAF said the enlistment is for graduates and postgraduates, who must be of Nigerian origin by birth.
“Applicants must not be less than 1.66 and 1.63 metres tall for male and female candidates, respectively,” the post reads.
“Applicants must be medically, physically, and psychologically fit; applicants must be free of any criminal conviction by the court of law.
“Applicants must be between the ages of 20 and 30 — but the age requirement for medical consultants is between 25 and 40 years.
“All applicants must possess a minimum of second-class upper division with five credits in a related course of study: a discharge certificate/letter of exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and a certificate of full registration with their respective statutory professional bodies in Nigeria.
“All candidates are expected to possess a LGA attestation, a passport photograph, and means of identification, such as a driver’s license, national identification number, or international passport.
“Applicants are advised to print out acknowledgement slips and LGA attestation forms after completing the application.”
NAF noted that the online registration is free of charge, adding that computer literacy will be an advantage.
It added that successful applicants will be invited for selection board interview exercises through the registration portal.
Interested applicants are to apply online at https://airforce.mil.ng/.
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