The office of the attorney general of the federation it will now hand over the matter involving a tax dispute with MTN to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigeria Custom Service (NCS)
It would be recalled that In September 2018, Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation, ordered the telco pay $2 billion in tax arrears after his office made a “high-level calculation”
The arrears requested cover import duties, VAT and withholding taxes on foreign imports/payments.since 2018
The AGF had said his office made a “
The latest developments which is aimed at resolving the protracted and contentious issues, the office of AGF said, is coming after careful review and due consultation with relevant statutory agencies, TheCable reports
By the same token, MTN, in a letter, also said it would withdraw its legal action against the AGF.
“MTN Nigeria is pleased to report that its legal counsel has received a letter dated January 8, 2020, from the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice (the AGF) formally withdrawing his demand for N242,244,452,215.97 and $1,283,610,357.86 alleged revenue indebtedness,” the letter read.
The letter confirmed that following
“MTN Nigeria will consequently follow due court process to withdraw its legal action against the AGF and engage with the FIRS and NCC on the issues.”
MTN Nigeria CEO, Ferdi Moolman, said the telecom company was very pleased with the decision of the AGF and also commended him for his wisdom.
“We maintain our dedication to building and maintaining cordial relationships with all regulatory authorities in Nigeria and remain fully committed to meeting our fiscal responsibilities and contribution to the social and economic development of Nigeria.”