The long-drawn legal battle by the South African Company, Multichoice Africa Holdings B.V, with the Nigerian government-owned Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) over the disputed $342 million tax has been struck out.

The Tax Appeal Tribunal, on Tuesday, struck out the appeal by the company for want of diligent prosecution and ordered it to pay up the $342 million tax assessment handed over to It by the FIRS.

Multichoice Africa Holdings is the parent company of Multichoice Nigeria and has engaged FIRS in court to challenge the assessment of the FIRS on it of unpaid Value Added Tax (VAT) amounting to over $123.7 million.

The Tribunal while delivering its judgment on the appeal filed by the company upheld the preliminary objection of the FIRS against the appeal of Multichoice Africa Holdings B.V and stated that the South African company did not comply with Order 3 Rule 6 of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 2021, which requires that an appellant is to deposit half of the assessed amount it is disputing before it can be heard on appeal.

In addition to depositing the sum, the appellant is required to file along with its appeal an affidavit verifying the payment which the company also failed to comply with.

According to the Tribunal, the sum is to be paid as a security for the hearing of any tax appeal. The rule states that “for an appeal against the tax authority, the aggrieved person will pay 50 per cent of the disputed amount into designated account by the Tribunal before hearing as security for prosecuting the appeal.”

FIRS had served a notice of unpaid VAT on Multichoice Africa Holdings B.V. but the company challenged the assessment and filed an appeal at the tribunal.

It however failed to comply with provisions of tax laws by the refusal to make the required deposit as stipulated by the Tribunal Rules.

It will be recalled that the FIRS had served Multichoice Africa Holdings B.V. a notice of assessment of unpaid VAT on June 16, 2021.

The company had consequently appealed the assessment at the Tax Appeal Tribunal on the ground of being too excessive.

Multichoice Africa Holdings, the parent company of Multichoice Nigeria, though providing services to its Nigerian arm was said not to have paid Value Added Tax since inception.

(Nigerian Tribune)

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