The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has criticised the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) for illegally asking the not-for-profit civil rights body to pay over N70 million as company’s income tax.

HURIWA says the consistency in its social justice advocacy campaigns against maladministration is the reason for this latest attempt to silence its independent voice.

In a statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko made available at the weekend,  HURIWA said the FIRS was on a vendetta and witch- hunting adventure against the organisation for criticising the revenue body in a newspaper interview.

The criticism was done when the newspaper sought HURIWA’s opinion regarding the newspaper’s findings that the federal tax agency earmarked a humongous amount of N1.4 billion in its 2021 budget as entertainment expenses to be paid for by taxpayers.

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According to HURIWA, to the best of its knowledge,  the FIRS celebrates crass incompetence and ignorance by seeking such outrageous tax returns from a charitable body that is even by the directives contained in the certificate of incorporation indicating its registration by the Corporate Affairs Commission is banned from engaging in business ventures.

The rights group wondered how the FIRS arrived at its “satanic calculation” to now conclude that a not-for-profit like HURIWA  should pay them a backlog of over N70 million.

HURIWA said : “How can the FIRS that has no power of oversight over CSOs be seen demanding the payment of company’s income tax from a body that the CAC directed by law not to ever engage in business or any profitable venture? This is insanity taken too far by the FIRS and our legal people will be following up soon on this madness of government.

“This is an attempt to muzzle free speech because on many occasions, many prominent federal government officers have approached HURIWA’s national coordinator to slow down on our criticisms of the failures of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Because they failed to get us to compromise and be silent, the FIRS thinks it can use an illegal methodology to intimidate, harass and force us into silence. Aluta continua, Victoria asserta.  We will neither be cowed or silenced by the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.”

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