Governor Wike Drags Buhari Govt To Supreme Court Over VAT
Nyesom Wike-led Rivers State Government has asked the Supreme Court to set aside the decision of the Appeal Court to order it to maintain status quo on the collection on Value Added Tax, VAT.
Truetells Nigeria reports that Rivers State, through its Attorney General is challenging last week’s ruling of the Court of Appeal.
Recall that the appellate court had asked Rivers and Lagos to maintain status quo on the collection of VAT pending the determination of an appeal that was lodged by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.
The State, in its nine grounds of appeal asked the Supreme Court to order that the substantive appeal by the FIRS, marked CA/PH/282/2021, and all other processes therein, be heard and determined by a new panel of the Court of Appeal.
The Rivers State legal team lead by Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) also listed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as a respondent alongside the FIRS.
The Appeal Court had last week Friday ordered the government of Rivers and Lagos State to suspend plans to start collecting the Value Added Tax (VAT).
A three-man panel of Justices of the appellate court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani said the order was to preserve the ‘Res’ (subject matter) of the appeal before it.