VAT dispute: Appeal Court grants Lagos request

Lagos state has gotten the approval to be made a respondent in the appeal filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service in the ongoing Value Added Tax (VAT) dispute between some states and the federal government.

In a ruling by Justice Haruna Simon Tsanami of the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday, Lagos state application was granted.

The appeal by the FIRS is against the August 9, 2021 judgment by Justice Steven Pam of the Federal High Court in Port-Harcourt, voiding the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act and holding the states could collect VAT.

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Justice Haruna Simon Tsanami in a ruling on Thursday, held that Lagos has effectively shown that it has sufficient interest to protect by being made a party in the case.

The court rejected the objections by the FIRS and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and proceeded to join the Attorney General of Lagos State as the third respondent.

It ordered that all processes so far filed in the case be served on the AG of Lagos and that further proceedings in the case will continue at the Port-Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal on October 7.