South Sudan losing over 1 billion SSP monthly over tax exemption

JUBA – South Sudan is losing over 1,000,000,000 South Sudanese pounds every month from government tax exemptions policies, according to the director-general of customs service Gen. Akol Ayii Madut.

Based on the government policies and established laws, only humanitarian agencies are allowed to import items without taxes, but the senior ministry of interior official is saying several powerful individuals in the country have been importing items without taxes.

He also said the companies such as the Africa Resources Corporation (ARC) and Shangdong High Speed are among the companies making profits, but that does not pay taxes costing the country 1.2 billion pounds a month.

“In every month, we are losing 1.2 billion SSP in term of exemption that include on road construction equipment, the United Nation humanitarian goods exemption plus others,” he said in an interview with the Eye Radio.

“We are losing a lot of money on this exemption. Our exemptions have been misused compared to our neighboring countries like Uganda and Kenya,” he added.

The senior government official further accused UN agencies of importing non-essential goods such as alcoholic beverages which he said are not included in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

“The SOFA agreement is not actually being control because most of the UN cars after the end of the contract, they are supposed to give it to the government but they are now auctioning them and they came under exemption which is wrong,” he said.

“We know about humanitarian – only food items but what they are bringing now is different thing for instance beer, sometimes I exempt 20 vehicle of beer, forty feet and whisky and this are not humanitarian,” he added.