Nigeria, July 25 -- The Federal High Court in Lagos has upheld the powers of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to charge, collect, and remit Value Added Tax (VAT) on food and transportation services provided through the Bolt digital platform.

Delivering the judgement on Thursday, a judge, Akintayo Aluko, affirmed an earlier decision of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT), which had validated FIRS directive asking Bolt to serve as its agent responsible for VAT compliance on behalf of independent food vendors and ride-hailing drivers using its platform.

Mr Aluko also awarded N1 million in costs against Bolt Operations in favour of the FIRS.

Bolt Operations, a non-resident technology company that operates a ride-hailing and food deliver...