By Bida Elly David
National Revenue Authority has revealed that delays for Civil Servants salaries have been hindered by tax clearing agents who manipulated invoices of goods being imported into the country to serve their personal interest.
In a statement seen by No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, the Commissioner for Customs Services Division of South Sudan National Revenue Authority has issued directives for all consignments of exported goods destined to South Sudan from the port of Mombasa and Nairobi freight Station to obtain customs accreditation permit before delivery.
The NRA Customs Service Division said it issued the directives to combat series of malpractices being carried out by the clearing agents at Nimule border.
The statement stated that goods entering South Sudan will be required to enter an “accreditation permit application number’’ before proceeding to the next stage of the e-customers portal for tax calculations.
“For the last ten years, the government of South Sudan has been losing huge revenues on daily basis at Nimule border from customs taxes due to clearing agents who have been manipulating the invoice values of goods being imported into the country for their own benefits” the statement faulting the tax clearing agents partly read.
The NRA Custom Services Division stressed that due to those acts of malpractices and manipulation from clearing agents, goods and consignments that were supposed destined to South Sudan end up being dumped in the Republic of Kenya and Uganda because of lack of proper monetary system in place.
The South Sudan NRA authority charged with generating revenues especially from non-oil revenue stressed that the cumulative malpractices happening at the border contributes to delays of civil servants salaries that go for several months.
“Because of this fact, salaries of civil servants are never paid on time and usually delayed for several Months” the NRA cited.
“In line with the above mentioned, the commissioner for the customs services division of South Sudan National Revenue Authority has allotted orders for all consignments which are destined to South Sudan from the port of Mombasa and Nairobi freight Station to obtain a customs accreditation permit before being released from the said stations as from Friday -1st –July-2022 as a tool to combat the malpractices being carried out by the clearing agents at Nimule border, goods entering South Sudan will be required to enter an “accreditation permit application number’’ before proceeding to the next stage of the e-customers portal for tax calculations’’ the statement read.
However, the commissioner has referred all necessary payments to be done using visa card or banking system.
“Due to the policy of the Government of South Sudan and sovereignty of Government revenues being collected, all payments must be made online using a visa card or through any commercial banks domiciled in the Republic of South Sudan” the statement continued.