The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has ordered Rivers State government to refrain from any action giving effect to the August 9, 2021 judgment of Rivers State High Court, which vested it with the powers to collect Value Added Tax (VAT) and Personal Income Tax.
Delivering the ruling on an appeal by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) seeking a stay of execution of the judgment and injunction, the panel of Justices of the appellate court urged parties in the suit to pull the breaks on the execution of the judgment pending the determination of a motion by Lagos State to join as an interested party.
It would be recalled that a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had, last week, restrained the FIRS from collecting some taxes from Rivers residents.
The court had declared that Rivers Government, not the FIRS, should collect the VAT and Personal Income Tax (PIT) in the State.
The court presided over by Justice Stephen Dalyop Pam, issued an order restraining the FIRS and the Attorney-General of the Federation, both first and second defendants in the suit, from collecting, demanding, threatening, and intimidating residents of Rivers State to pay to FIRS, personnel income tax, and VAT.