The branches of Sterling Bank in Enugu
yesterday reopened for business after reconciliation with the state’s
government’s Board of Internal Revenue Service (BIR).
 |
| Henry Bassey |
The BIR had reportedly closed eight
banks including Sterling Bank branches in Enugu on Monday for alleged
failure to pay withholding tax to the Board.
But in a statement signed by the Chief
Marketing Officer, Sterling Bank, Henry Bassey, the lender said: “The
reported closure came to us at Sterling Bank as a shock considering the
robust relationship that exists between the bank and the board just as
we had conducted ourselves as a responsible corporate financial
institution through prompt payment of all our taxes, fees, levies and
all other payments not only due to BIR but to all government
institutions both at the states and national level.
“We would like to confirm that the board
approached the bank with a request to pay outstanding withholding tax
to it which we agreed to settle but after due reconciliation of the
books. We had scheduled a meeting with the officials of the board this
Monday only to hear of the closure of our branches on Sunday night.
While the bank said it was not joining
issues with the board over the closure, it said the government agency
“should have waited for the conclusion of the process of reconciliation
before engaging in the closure of the branches without due consideration
of the effect of such closure not only to the Bank but on our numerous
customers who have been denied access to their funds for business
opportunity and personal use.”
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