The South Sudan National Revenue Authority (SSNRA) plans to raise tariffs on non-essential goods such as body bleaching creams and alcoholic beverages.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Parliament Spokesman Oliver Benjamin Mori said the decision was reached on Monday when SSNRA Commissioner General Africano Mande appeared in Parliament to brief the lawmakers on the revenue collection efforts.
Mori said that during the Commissioner General’s presentation, the August House noticed that South Sudan was the last in the region in terms of the non-oil revenue collection; thus the need for higher taxation, especially on the non-essential goods.
“We are now part of the East African Community and we must adopt the same tax measures,” Mori said.
He said SSNRA had also identified the essential goods whose tax rates could be increased.
“But there are luxury goods like skin lotions and spirits whose taxes are going to be raised,” Mori reiterated.
Parliament earlier this month summoned 11 ministers and the SSNRA boss to explain how much the authority collects every month.
Mori said Parliament had directed the SSNRA boss to be presenting monthly reports for the public awareness.
He said the Commissioner General’s report convinced Parliament that the collection should be sufficient to pay the civil servants’ salaries.
“The Commissioner General said he is not a spending agency. He only collects the revenue and remits to the Ministry of Finance and the House urged him to make monthly announcements of how much money was collected so that the public knows,” he explained.
On the unification of bank accounts, Mori said the Finance minister and the Commissioner General reiterated a commitment to closing the loopholes.