MultiChoice Nigeria to Appeal Hefty U.S.$4 Billion Tax Bill

The Lagos Zone of the Tax Appeal Tribunal has ruled that MultiChoice Nigeria has fulfilled the conditions required for the hearing of its appeal against U.S.$4.4 billion tax bill slapped on it by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

MultiChoice, Africa's biggest pay-TV provider, was allowed to continue with the appeal after paying a U.S.$19.4 million deposit. It was initially required to deposit half the levy, or U.S.$2.2 billion, it allegedly owes FIRS, before it could continue with the appeal.

MultiChoice is challenging the penalty imposed by FIRS, which said the owner of the DSTV service skipped taxes and denied auditor access to its servers. In early July 2021, FIRS said that it had instructed banks to freeze the accounts of MultiChoice Africa and its Nigerian subsidiary, for breaching agreements and denying access to records for auditing purposes.