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Tax Default: God is Good Motors Knocks FIRS, Demands Retraction
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s leading transport franchise, God Is Good Motors (GIGM), has demanded the removal of its name from a published list of tax defaulters by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The firm said it has fully paid documented tax liability as demanded by the services, wondering how it could have defaulted after meeting all obligations.
It claimed that no prior demand notices were served on the firm in any of its branches nationwide as required by Sections 32 (d) and 33(1) of the FIRS Establishment Act before publication of its name among defaulters.
In a nine-point rejoinder dated August 21 signed by Finance Director of GIGM, Mr Joseph Osanipin, the firm described FIRS’ action as “totally unacceptable, unprofessional and unethical.”
It said the embarrassing development was ”negatively affecting our mutual business dealings with both our foreign and local partners,” urging the FIRS to reverse it with immediate effect.
The rejoinder titled: “Unpleasant and unlawful publication of our company name as tax defaulters on print and social media” reads: “Sequel to your publication of names of tax defaulters on Public Media, amongst which our Company’s name was maliciously included, we respond thus:
“Our Company; God is Good Motors Nigeria Limited is a duly registered Company in Nigeria with full compliance with the requirements of all relevant Government Agencies one of which is the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
“That the above stated Account name with Zenith Bank GOD IS GOOD MOTORS (VEHICLE SALESS A/C) is not a different Company nor a subsidiary of our company stated above, rather it is the same company but with a modified account name for ease of reconciling our transactions.
“We registered our Business with the Federal Inland Revenue Service as far back as 2010 with a Taxpayer Identification Number: 09568000-0001, with all documented tax liability fully paid up as demanded by the service.
“FIRS has carried out series of Tax Audits on our Company with the latest being May, 2018 vide a letter from your same head office dated 18th April, 2018 and signed by the Director of Tax Audit Department which I suppose you could verify from your internal records.
“We find it totally unacceptable, unprofessional, and unethical the manner in which our account name above was published on public media.
“This is a malicious attempt at smearing the good name and brand we have struggled to build over the years without even a demand notice served on us as stipulated in the FIRS Establishment Act Section 32 (d)….” the Service shall serve a demand notice upon the company or person in whose name a tax is chargeable and if payment is not made within one month from the date of the-service of such demand notice, the Service may proceed to enforce payment under this Act”
“Also Section 33(1) of the FIRS Establishment Act also states:…” Without prejudice to any other power conferred on the Board for the enforcement of payment of tax due from a company, where an assessment has become final and conclusive and a demand notice has, in accordance with the provisions of the relevant tax laws tax in the First Schedule to this Act, been served upon the taxable person or upon the person in whose name the taxable person is chargeable, then, if payment of the tax is not made within the time limited by the demand notice, the Board may in the prescribed form, for the purpose of enforcing payment of the tax due”
“Both sections of the FIRS Establishment act stated above clearly states that a demand notice must be served on the intended taxpayer before enforcement procedures are carried out, hence we find it very embarrassing that no demand notices were served on us or any of our branches/outlets yet our name was published on public media as delinquent and defaulting taxpayers
“The FIRS should look into her records to confirm our points as stated in 1. – 8 above and update our records with your Agency to avoid any future embarrassment of this nature as our organization takes issues like this as topmost priority.
“A counter publication should be made to expunge our Company name from the list of tax defaulters as this is negatively affecting our mutual business dealings with both our foreign and local partners.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A bill aimed at prohibiting hawking, trading or preaching inside commercial vehicles in Nigeria has been passed by the Senate.
The bill known as the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, imposes fines between N50,000 and N100,000 for violations if assented to by the President.
The piece of legislation was passed by the red chamber of the National Assembly on Thursday and should later be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Members of the upper chamber of the parliament explained that the law was amended to discourage distractions in commercial vehicles and improve the safety of commuters.
In addition, motorists who fail to cooperate with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) during roadside breath tests conducted on reasonable suspicion are liable to fines or imprisonment or both.
Lawmakers noted that this was to improve compliance with road safety regulations and reduce road crashes, as fines for driving under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating drugs were raised to N100,000 from N5,000, with the risk of spending two years behind bars.
It was also proposed that disobedience to traffic lights, road signs, pavement markings and other traffic control devices will now attract N100,000, while the fine for speed limit violations is now N100,000, with reckless driving now a fine of N100,000 or two years’ imprisonment.
By Dipo Olowookere
Residents and motorists plying the Aina Obembe Road in Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos, may soon heave a sigh of relief as the excruciating traffic gridlock being experienced in the area both day and night may soon be a thing of the past.
This is because the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, has directed those involved in indiscriminate truck parking along the road to remove the heavy-duty vehicles within one week, threatening to invoke appropriate enforcement measures for noncompliance with this directive.
Speaking during a meeting on Wednesday with the management of SENA Company, which owns the affected trucks, as well as the leadership of Oluwadara CDA and other key stakeholders like the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), at the council’s secretariat, Mr Agbaje frowned at the prolonged inconvenience suffered by the community, stressing that public roads must remain accessible and safe for all users.
He emphasised the need for a collaborative approach in resolving the issue without undermining legitimate business operations, noting that he’s focused on finding a lasting solution to the gridlock experienced between Oluwaga and Aina Obembe, where parked trucks have continued to obstruct traffic, disrupt business activities, and pose safety concerns for residents and motorists.
He tasked the firm and the CDA to jointly identify and implement alternative parking arrangements that would remove all trucks from the affected roads and restore the free flow of traffic.
He declared that, “The welfare of our people remains our highest priority. No individual or corporate organisation should obstruct public infrastructure or create avoidable hardship for residents. We must ensure that economic activities coexist with public safety, order, and convenience.”
The council chief reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting orderly development, ensuring safe and accessible roads, improving traffic management, and creating an environment where businesses can thrive alongside the well-being of residents.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has cut import levies on new and used vehicles by as much as 10 per cent in a move aimed at reducing the cost of vehicle importation, even as it commenced the implementation of a new Green Tax surcharge.
According to an update issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday, the import levy on new vehicles has been reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while the levy on used vehicles has been slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent under the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, which took effect on July 1, 2026.
The customs said the policy is designed to ease the cost of vehicle imports while advancing the government’s environmental sustainability objectives through the newly introduced Green Tax.
The implementation also reduces the overall import duty on fully built passenger vehicles from 70 per cent to 40 per cent.
As part of the Green Tax framework, a new environmental surcharge of between two per cent and four per cent will apply to petrol-powered vehicles with engine capacities exceeding 2,000cc. However, mass transit buses, electric vehicles, and passenger cars with engines below 2,000cc are exempt from the surcharge.
Beyond the automobile sector, the fiscal measures also lower import duties on several essential goods. The duty on imported rice has been reduced from 70 per cent to 47.5 per cent, while crude palm oil now attracts a 28.75 per cent duty.
In addition, import duties on agricultural and manufacturing machinery have been completely removed to support local production, while Waste PET has been added to the export prohibition list to encourage domestic recycling.
