Mr Wike signed the recently passed bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly into law at Government House, Port Harcourt.
He maintained that the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had sufficiently addressed the illegality perpetrated by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS).
“The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has addressed the illegality perpetrated by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) on behalf of the Federal Government in the collection of VAT in states.
The governor also signed into law the Open Rearing and Grazing Prohibition Law No 5 of 2021; The Child’s Rights Amendment Law No 2 of 2021.
Others are the Residents Registration Agency Law No 6 of 2021 and the Naming and Renaming of Infrastructure Law No 3 of 2021.
Mr Wike pointed out that when agencies of the federal government were allowed to illegally demand and collect taxes meant for states to collect, they strangled the states financially and turned them into beggars.
“But we (Rivers State) are standing on the part of history as representatives of the state to have taken the bull by the horn to challenge the illegality of the federal government through the Federal inland Revenue Services (FIRS).
“Of course, we are all aware that the states have already been strangled.
“Most states depend on allocation from federation accounts.
“States have been turned to beggars, hardly will any day pass that you will not see one state or others going to Abuja to beg for one fund,” Mr Wike said.
He said no campaign of calumny or blackmail on the part of FIRS would make what was illegal to become legal.
He dismissed FIRS’ report that 30 states would suffer if some states were allowed to collect VAT.
9Naija 