Court of Appeal stops Rivers government from enforcing VAT judgement

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja has ordered all parties to refrain from taking action that would give effect to the judgment of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt that allowed the Rivers State government to collect Value Added Tax, VAT.

In its ruling, a three-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani gave the order today while ruling on an appeal filed by the Federal Internal Revenue Service, FIRS.

Tsammani held that the motion of joinder by the Lagos State government be heard and gave the applicants two days to file their written addresses.

The order of the appellate court is the latest development in the series of legal tussles over whose responsibility it is to collect VAT.