By Philip Buda Ladu
National Ministry of Trade and Industries cut fees on diesel, petrol, Jet A-1 fuel, and lubricants.
The National Ministry of Trade and Industries, Hon. Atong Kuol Manyang, stated in a ministerial order, No. 06/2025 that the fees reduction takes immediate effect.
The ministerial order seen by No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, lowers the trade license fee from 0.5 USD per liter to 0.2 USD per liter.
Referenced RSS/MT&I/J/15 and dated May 13, 2025, the order explicitly modifies the fees as embodied in the Financial Act 2024-2025. It also mandates immediate implementation by all relevant authorities.
In the official text of the order, Minister Atong outlined the purpose and objective of the fee reduction as being “to stabilize refined petroleum products businesses that are struggling due to the current economic hardships, and to reduce smuggling.”
The Minister evoked Article 114 of the Transitional Constitution 2011, as amended and section (13), sub-section (7) of the Imports and Exports Act, 2012, to take the decision.
The order, has been communicated to key government officials and bodies, including the Vice President and Chair of the Economic Cluster, the Minister of Finance and Planning, the Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, security organs, and the media.
This significant reduction in fees is expected to provide much-needed relief to businesses dealing in petroleum products, which have been facing challenges due to the prevailing economic climate.
Furthermore, the government hopes that by making legal trade more economically viable, the order will serve as a deterrent to the illegal smuggling of these essential commodities.
The immediate implementation of the order which is yet to be seen would signal the government’s urgency in addressing these critical economic and security concerns within the petroleum sector.