The Rivers State governor, Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike has stated that he has taken over revenue drive in the state.
He stated that his decision to personally drive revenue generation is borne out of the fact that his administration is determined to sustain the mass execution of projects across the state.
Wike, who spoke on Tuesday during a meeting with hotel owners in the state at the Government House, Port Harcourt, said, “I am now fully in charge of revenue drive in the state. The aim is to make the environment conducive for businesses to thrive.”
The governor explained that under the current economic climate, the state government cannot continue to rely on the Federation Account, hence the need to enhance revenue generation, pointing out that some hotel owners also connive with some agents of the state government to commit revenue fraud.
He informed that the local government areas in the state can only collect tenement rate, adding that other levies will be harmonized and paid to the state government in a single account.
Wike said, “There will be no duplicity of levies. We cannot collect levies and the local government areas also collect the same levies.”
The governor, who warned the hotel owners against providing hideouts for kidnappers, said with the cooperation of the hotel owners, crime will be reduced.
The meeting, which attracted hotel owners from across the state, was attended by local government caretaker committee chairmen.
The hotel owners applauded the initiative of the governor pledging their support for the move to streamline all taxes in the state.
