Telecom companies owing more than N143bn in taxes – Reps

The House of Representatives insisted, yesterday, that telecommuncations operators in the country were owing N143 billion in taxes.

This is even as the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, warned the operators against evading taxes, noting that tax payments were paramount requirement for individuals and corporate organisations.

Dogara made the assertion at the opening of investigations by ad-hoc committee probing operational activities of telecommunications equipment and service companies and vendors in Nigeria.

He said it was in view of allegations that some of the firms were evading taxes that the House mandated the adhoc committee to conduct the probe.

The speaker said: “It is important, perhaps, to remind ourselves at this point that all non-human persons are the creation of law.

‘’Therefore, it’s incumbent on organisations doing business in Nigeria to conduct their business in line with the constitution, the law as well as all rules and regulations governing the industry in which they operate, including the present administration’s zero tolerance for tax evasion.”