The Aweil State Legislative Assembly has rejected a proposal on Tuesday to resume the household social taxes, which previously stirred controversy when collected among the citizens of the state. The legislature reasoned that poverty and hunger are too severe right now to impose the tax again.

Former Governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Kuel Aguer Kuel canceled the household tax after coming to power in 2014, before his removal in the next year.

This week the finance minister brought a proposal to the parliament asking for resumption of the household tax.

According to, the Aweil State Parliament Chairperson for Information Committee, Benson Upouthmalou, the assembly decided to suspend the tax because citizens would not afford to pay the amount while they don’t have enough food in their families.

He said the parliament has ordered the ministry of finance to stop receiving any tax from households across the state.

“This year is a very bad year so we told the minister of finance to leave the house collections until the weather will be better to allow the house collections. This is only what we have done in the assembly,” Benson said.

For his part, the Minister of Finance Garang Majak said the government has the right to raise taxes from household but he conceded that the parliament had made the right decision.

“I proposed to them that of course, the same people they need services, they need schools, they need roads, they need security, yet there is no money. So I was proposing to them that at least we have to resume social household tax to raise our revenue level so that we are able to finance other government projects,” explained Garang.

“But they told me that this time there is too much hunger and they have not permitted for me to go ahead. So we suspended. I agree with them, but in the future we have to resume,” concluded the minister.