Employees at the National Revenue Authority (NRA) on Friday staged protests to demand incentives, accusing the institution’s head of embezzlement.
The protests were held by staff working for the NRA’s domestic tax revenue division.
Dr. Patrick Mugoya, a Tanzanian national, is the Commissioner-General of the National Revenue Authority (NRA). He was appointed to the position in October 2020.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, Deng Machar, a representative of the protesting group, said: “We are here being blocked by the National Revenue Authority headquarters because we are striking because of the corruption by the commissioner general in our country. He has embezzled over 141 million SSP as incentives for staff of domestic tax.”
Machar said they have decided to lay down their tools starting on Monday if the National Revenue Authority does not meet their demands.
Ajang Majok, another protester, said: “It is not logical for the commissioner general to eat our money and oppress us on our rights. He blocked the gate for us. And this gate is not in Tanzania, it is in South Sudan.”
Sarah Michael, another staff of the domestic tax division, said they were denied their rights of being staff of the domestic tax revenue division.
“Today, the commissioner general is saying we are not part of NRA. As you have seen, we are standing outside because we were blocked from entry. And there is nothing in South Sudan that when you are appointed by public service, you are treated this way,” she said.
For his part, Albino Chol Thiik, Commissioner of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division, urged the protesting employees to find an amicable way of raising the issue by first fixing an appointment with the commissioner general.
“If you want to see the commissioner general, please fix an appointment. You will say we have exhausted all the procedures, but nobody has accepted us. Therefore, we have to go to the streets. That is an agreement,” he said.
“Make an appointment, and if they don’t come, you can say we have made an appointment, and they refused to come,” he concluded.
The NRA’s commissioner general could not immediately be reached for comment.