The Kano State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) has sealed the head office of Max Air Limited, a leading Nigerian airline, over unpaid tax liabilities exceeding N190 million.

The debt, comprising Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and other tax obligations, reportedly accrued between 2012 and 2017.

Madam Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Director of Debt Management and Enforcement at KIRS, disclosed that the agency took enforcement action after numerous unsuccessful attempts to engage Max Air in dialogue.

“We issued several correspondences to Max Air to settle their tax liabilities, but they failed to respond. As a last resort, we obtained a court order to seal their headquarters in accordance with the law,” Abdullahi said.

The enforcement is part of a larger crackdown by KIRS to ensure compliance among tax defaulters in the state.

Max Air, owned by Dahiru Barau Mangal, a prominent businessman and relative of Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the NNPP national leader and presidential candidate, is one of several companies targeted in the state’s ongoing drive to recover outstanding taxes.

The KIRS enforcement team also sealed the offices of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company along Zaria Road for defaulting on over N241 million in PAYE and withholding tax liabilities from 2021 to 2022. In addition, Northern Rice and Oil Milling Nigeria Ltd, located in Gunduwawa Industrial Estate, off Hadejia Road, was shut down for similar tax-related offenses.

Abdullahi stressed the importance of compliance, noting that tax payments are crucial for the state’s development.

“Our enforcement team discovered significant discrepancies in the payment of taxes by these companies,” she said. “We were left with no choice but to take these measures to compel them to pay after numerous attempts to address the issue amicably.”

The enforcement exercise, she explained, aims to ensure that all businesses operating in Kano State meet their tax obligations as required by law.

“This action is not directed at any individual or company; rather, it is part of our mandate to recover outstanding liabilities and enhance the state’s internally generated revenue,” Abdullahi stated.

At the time of this report, representatives from Max Air and the other affected companies were unavailable for comment.

Kano State has been intensifying its efforts to recover unpaid taxes as part of a broader strategy to increase revenue generation and reduce reliance on federal allocations.

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