The chairman Tax Appeal Tribunal ,Lagos zone, kayode Sofola bows out after seven years of meritorious service at the helm of the Tribunal.
The senior Advocate of Nigeria, former chairman United Bank for Africa ,and erstwhile chairman of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT), reflected on issues with our editor ,Israel Balogun ,at his top of the class law firm in the Foreshore Estate , Ikoyi , Lagos. Sofola in his elements posited that his records of service at the Tribunal are unassailable and therefore the incoming team will have to brace up to consolidate on the achievement of his team.
He stated pointedly that the recent economic recession ought teach Nigerians to take the bull by the horns by embracing a fair tax regime and culture and take advantage of the windows the Appeal Tribunals provide . He declared that the” era of the nation depending on foreign loans ,aids ,grants and hand outs from large economies ,development partners and international agencies is over “. Sofola emphasized that the Tax Appeal Tribunal is the best thing that has happened to tax administration ,arbitration and jurisprudence in Nigeria.
He noted that the new world has come to embrace (ADR) Alternative Dispute Resolution and Nigeria cannot be an isolated case . The erstwhile chairman seven years of service at the helm of Lagos TAT witnessed fundamental reforms and landmark judgments .It could be recalled the Tribunal under Sofola ruled that ,Mobil Nigeria unlimited ,to pay $83.4m about (N13b) education tax to the FIRS as the chairman of the five man Tribunal .He declared that the amount represented the company’s education liability for the year 2008 .
Kayode Sofola,a highly cerebral Nigerian legal luminary had served out his two terms of six years statutorily with an impeccable conduct declining appeal and persuasion to hold on.
-Israel S.G.Balogun
