The Oyo State Government has requested to be joined in the suit filed by the Rivers State Government against the Attorney-General of the Federation on the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT).
The suit filed at the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt seeks to take over the collection of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from the Federal Government.
Mr Taiwo Adisa, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Seyi Makinde, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the suit instituted by the Attorney-General of Oyo State, Prof Oyelowo Oyewo, is seeking an order of the Appellate Court to enable Oyo State to join the suit as an interested party.
It read, “In the suit, the Government of Oyo State is seeking two orders, viz: an order of the Honourable Court joining the Attorney-General of Oyo State as a respondent on the appeal with suit number FHC/PH/CS/149/2020 and appeal number CA/PH/282/2021 and any other order the Court may deem fit.
“According to the Attorney-General of Oyo State, the government of Oyo State was unaware of the suit between the Attorney-General of Rivers State and the Federal Inland Revenue Service at the Federal High Court until the judgment was delivered.
“Other grounds upon which the application was based include that the decision of the appellate court will affect the collection of VAT by the government of Oyo State, being one of the states which the judgment of the lower court recognised as entitled to collect VAT within its territorial jurisdiction.
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“Oyo State Government also indicates that the applicant, Attorney-General of the State, represents the interest of the Oyo State Government, whose interest in the collection of VAT within Oyo State will be impacted one way or another by any judgment delivered by this Honourable Court in this appeal,” the statement read.
According to the Oyo State Government, it is in the interest of justice that the appellate court grants the application, adding that the joinder will not prejudice the appellants and respondents.
It further stated that the state, being one of the 36 states of Nigeria, would be affected by the decision of the appellate court.
It added that joining the state to the suit already instituted by Rivers would help to avoid multiplicity of suits by the states against the Federal Government.
