THOUSANDS of customers who went to transact businesses in all the branches of First Bank in Edo state, were stranded Friday, following the sealing up of all the branches of the bank by the Edo state government over alleged failure to remit Pay As You Earn tax, estimated at over N275million.

Many of the customers who waited through out the day went home disappointed.

The Chairman of the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue, Dr Ese Owie, who spoke to newsmen in Benin City, said the Board’s action was necessitated by what he described as the recalcitrant stance of the company and their alleged refusal to honour their tax obligation.

Owie explained that the Board had carried out a statutory tax audit on the company to ascertain the extent of their liabilities, adding that “at the end of the exercise, the Tax Audit Report and a Demand Notice for the payment of the outstanding taxes were sent out to the company. Upon the expiration of the stipulated deadline, the Board invoked its powers as enshrined in the Personal Income Tax Act of 1993”.

He maintained that the bank would be made to pay its liabilities in full before their offices are reopened, just as he warned tax payers in the state, particularly corporate organizations to comply with the extant laws, as the Board’s enforcement team would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that monies due to government are paid.