![South Sudan finance minister Bak Barnaba. [Photo by Radio Tamazuj]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Bak-1.jpg?resize=1099%2C593&ssl=1)
The minister’s directive, issued on Monday, targets a wide range of unauthorized entities, including CID, Interpol, Security Port, National and State Traffic Police, Civil Defense/Fire Brigade, Integrated Inspection Services, and private companies contracted by government institutions.
“The Minister closed down the offices of institutions that are not mandated by law to collect revenues at the border such as CID, Interpol, Security Port, National and State Traffic Police, Civil Defense/ Fire Brigade, Integrated Inspection Services and other private companies contracted by government institutions to operate on their behalf,” Bak’s office said in a statement.
The minister’s action aims to establish clear lines of authority for border revenue collection and eliminate the rampant practice of illegal taxation.
Henceforth, only five institutions with legal authorization – Customs, Immigration, National Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, and Ministry of Trade and Industry through the Department of External Trade – will be permitted to collect taxes at the Nimule border.
Furthermore, the minister ordered the closure of clearing agencies whose licenses have expired, urging them to renegotiate their terms of operation and renew their licenses in Juba.
“We will go back to Juba, and we will see from there if we are to renew their contracts, it will be a different subject but today, I will close down 49 offices, I will close them down completely because their license expired,” he declared.
Observers see Chol’s action as a significant step towards combating corruption and ensuring that border revenues are collected legally and efficiently.
The minister also hopes that this move will lead to boost of government revenue, improve trade facilitation, and instill greater transparency in the border revenue collection process.
