Governor Nyeson Wike is still spitting fire over his government’s fight to ensure that Value Added Tax in the state is collected by the state.
It has found a great ally in Lagos State, with nwhich it is trying to stop the Federal Government’s Federal Inland Revenue Service from continuing to do so.
Wike and FIRS have been in the court twice and Rivers have won the brace.
While other stakeholders are also trying to halt the change, Gombe State, on its part went sober, urging Lagos and Rivers to be their brothers’keepers by not stopping the flow of btheir fat VATs to the centre for sharing.
But an insisten Wike has said that there is nno going back on the cause.
In his latest move, he addressed oil companies in Port Harcourt bwhere he warned that there would be negative consequence if they dared to take advantage of the development in any way.
He said he was not afraid of Abuja on the matter.
Wike said: “People say that let heaven not fall but sometimes I believe that heaven should come down so that everybody will rest…When we do the right thing, heaven is at peace. So, the right thing must be done at all times.
“Rivers State is challenging FIRS from collecting VAT in Rivers State. I am not challenging FIRS from collecting VAT in Abuja. Let it be understood. But the law says Rivers must collect VAT in the state.
“The Federal Government surreptitiously lobbied to amend the constitution to place VAT collection under the exclusive legislative list
“We have challenged it and we have no apologies to anybody.
“I don’t want to be in the good book of anybody but in the good book of God.
“You don’t bully a state like us. FIRS should be very careful. I have the political will to do a lot of things. If they continue to bully us, I will take all their offices in the state.”
