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Last Updated: Wednesday, November 10th, 2004 HOME | Previous Page Lagos govt denies over-taxing companies By Fabian Ozor Senior Correspondent, Lagos   The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, has said that it is not true that companies operating in the state are being over-taxed. According to Bello, all the companies in the state pay taxes to the Federal Government and so, if there is anyone to blame for over taxing businesses, it is Abuja, not Lagos. Speaking on Tuesday at the commissioning of a water project donated by the West African Milk Company (WAMCO) Plc, Bello added that the sales tax the state government is asking some companies to pay, is not for all companies operating in the state but those producing luxury items. �What we are asking the companies to pay is sales tax and I think that we are not asking for too much. �Under the corporate tax law, it is the Federal Government that the companies pay taxes to, not the state. It is the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) which is paid by workers including those in the private sector that Lagos State collects,� Bello said. He justified the introduction of the sales tax, saying that these companies use Lagos roads, generate refuse as well as use water provided by the state in the course of their daily operational activities. Bello said what Lagos State is advocating is that companies operating in the state should pay a token to maintain the roads, clear the refuse, provide water and subsidize electricity. He dismissed speculations that many companies are planning to relocate, saying that they cannot leave Lagos because of the advantages that abound in Lagos. �Don�t let anybody deceive you. You have to consider so many things before you decide to relocate; transportation, access to infrastructures. So Lagos is the place to be,� he said. The commissioner commended WAMCO who not only donated a borehole to the Ogba community but also adopted the Ogba Junior High School as WAMCO School for three years. He appealed to WAMCO to also partner with the state government in the area of environment, which include clearing of refuse and installation of refuse buckets along the streets among others.   Copyright� 2004. All Rights Reserved. Independent Newspapers Limited Block5, Plot 7D, Wempco Road, Ogba, P.M.B. 21777, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. www.independentng.com e-mail: [email protected] Designed By Powered By DNet.

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