Non-Oil Revenue Exceeds Targets

The Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority told the National Legislative Assembly that non-oil revenue has surpassed its targets for the previous fiscal year.

The National Legislative Assembly summoned eleven ministers on Monday to answer questions about the country’s ongoing economic meltdown.

Per the parliament spokesperson Hon. Oliver Mori Benjamin, and lawmakers have order Africano Mande to publicly announce the monthly revenue collections.

Hon. Mori said that during the Commissioner General’s presentation, the August House noticed that South Sudan was the last in the region in terms of the non-oil revenue collection; thus, the need for higher taxation, especially on the non-essential goods.

“We are now part of the East African Community, and we must adopt the same tax measures,” Mori said.

He said SSNRA had also identified the essential goods whose tax rates could be increased.

“But there are luxury goods like skin lotions and spirits whose taxes are going to be raised,” Mori reiterated.

Parliament earlier this month summoned 11 ministers and the SSNRA boss to explain how much the authority collects every month.

Mori said Parliament had directed the SSNRA boss to present monthly reports for public awareness.

He said the Commissioner General’s report convinced Parliament that the collection should be sufficient to pay the civil servants’ salaries.

“The Commissioner General said he is not a spending agency. He only collects the revenue and remits to the Ministry of Finance and the House urged him to make monthly announcements of how much money was collected so that the public knows,” he explained.

On the unification of bank accounts, Mori said the finance minister and the Commissioner General reiterated a commitment to closing the loopholes.