VAT: Rivers State Challenges Court Order, Heads to Supreme Court

• The Rivers state government has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling of a Court of Appeal
• The appeal was filed in the Value Added Tax (VAT) dispute between the state and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)
• The appeal court had asked the parties to maintain the status quo on the collection of VAT pending the determination of an appeal filed by the FIRS

The Rivers state government is challenging an order by the Court of Appeal over the ongoing Value Added Tax dispute between it and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Punch Newspaper reports.

To this end, the state government has approached the Supreme Court, challenging the court order on 10 grounds of appeal.

The Rivers state government is claiming that Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law when they made an order to maintain the status quo, Channels Television added.

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Rivers state is also arguing that the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal erred in law when they wrongly assumed jurisdiction to entertain the oral application in the case.

VAT: Wike threatens showdown with FIRS

Earlier, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state threatened to “take over” all offices of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in the oil-rich south-south state if the government agency continues with its “bullying.”

The governor spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, the state capital while addressing business owners in the state.

Wike told the oil firms, construction companies and other business owners operating in the state to start remitting their VAT to the state government starting from September.

Lagos govt joins forces with Rivers in VAT battle against FIRS

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Meanwhile, the Lagos state government on Friday, September 10, applied to the Court of Appeal in Abuja to be joined as a co-respondent in the appeal filed by FIRS against Rivers state.

The FIRS is challenging the judgment of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, which held that Rivers state has the power to collect VAT within its domain.

The Attorney General of Lagos, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), informed the court of the state's interest to be joined as a party in the appeal.

Source: Legit.ng