As the battle over unpaid $2billion tax arrears between MTN Nigeria and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami persist, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group, Rob Shuter, has said that the nation’s tax authorities have no particular quarrel with the firm various tax assessments. The telecommunication company boss also, said that the AGF is “playing games” over the federal government’s demand of $2 billion tax arrears from the company. Speaking at a conference call where MTN’s 2018 annual results were presented to executives and stakeholders of the company, Shuter said, “Now, of course, what’s odd about the Nigeria-situation is it’s not the Commissioner for Inland Revenue that we have the dispute with. It’s the Attorney General, who is really not mandated to collect the tax. “So the legal process is basically saying you’re playing a game that you’re not meant to be playing. And when we talk to the tax authorities they have no particular quarrel with where we are with our various assessments. “So either we get the thing chucked out early on and the issue is finished, or it is just one of these lingering things that roll around in the system for a while. And personally, I don’t know which way it’s going to play out. “I’m just absolutely adamant that we’re a responsible company, we have paid the taxes we had to pay, and the tax authorities themselves aren’t saying that we owe them anything. So I think we’ve just got to stare this one down.” Although, the hearing of the suit against the AGF first scheduled for November 8, 2018, has been adjourned to March 26. It would be recalled that in September 2018, Malami had written to MTN Nigeria, demanding a payment of $2 billion in tax arrears. He broke the amount down to a 10-year period for import duties, Value Added Tax (VAT) and withholding taxes on foreign imports/payments. MTN Nigeria had denied any wrongdoing, saying it had fully settled all outstanding taxes. The telco also sued the AGF.

Source: Dailytimes