Multiple taxation blamed for rising commodity prices in Maban

The Maban County Chamber of Commerce in Upper Nile State has attributed high prices of consumer goods to multiple taxation and road closures due to the current rainy season.

The Maban County Chamber of Commerce in Upper Nile State has attributed high prices of consumer goods to multiple taxation and road closures due to the current rainy season.

Al-Jumaili Salim, the head of the Chamber of Commerce in Maban County, told Radio Tamazuj on Saturday that the multiplicity of tax collection points by the revenue authorities has led to a significant increase in prices and exacerbated the suffering of citizens in meeting their daily needs.

Salim said, “The price of a bag of sugar increased from 17,000 to 23,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP), a bag of onions from 20,000 to 40,000 SSP and a jerrycan of cooking oil shot up to 17,500 SSP.”

The Chamber of Commerce official appealed to the government to reduce fees and taxes on consumer goods and take into account the dire conditions that citizens are going through due to severe economic hardship.

Most areas of northern Upper Nile depend entirely on food from Sudan which closed its borders with South Sudan since the latter gained independence in 2011.

South Sudan's economy, which relies almost exclusively on oil revenues, has been battered by a drop in global crude prices, driving prices of essential commodities higher.