Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday, threatened to “take over” all offices of the Federal Inland Revenue Service in the oil-rich South-South state if the government agency continues with its “bullying”.
The governor spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, the state capital, while addressing business owners in the state.
The governor told the oil firms, construction companies and other business owners operating in the state to start remitting their Value Added Tax to the state government beginning this September.
Recall the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt in its judgment last month in a suit marked FHC/PH/CS/149/2020 held that the Rivers State Government had the powers to collect VAT within its territory.
The FIRS, on Monday, prayed the court to stay execution on the judgment.
But the presiding judge, Justice Stephem Pam, rejected the application, saying granting it would negate the principle of equity.
On Monday, the Lagos State Government toed the path of Rivers State as a bill to empower it to collect VAT scaled second reading in the state House of Assembly.
