By Hou Akot Hou
Northern Bahr El Ghazal state announced on Tuesday plans to exempt taxes on sorghum until the crops yield.
This strategy aims to help local civilians afford sorghum in the market, as traders tend to raise prices for local consumers.
This decision resulted from an extraordinary meeting convened last Thursday.
According to Gabriel Deng Yel, the state Minister of Information, the motion to exempt taxes on sorghum was raised by the state Minister of Finance, Ruay Dut Akol, and was seconded by most cabinet members.
Yel stated that it was agreed that sorghum would be exempt from taxes for a period of four months, allowing everyone to access this staple food, which many local people struggle to afford.
They often sell their cows, goats, and engage in petty economic activities to make ends meet.
Deng acknowledged the precarious situation facing local residents, describing the conditions as harsh for almost everyone.
“We understand the difficulties our people are experiencing. As a result of the evaluation and assessment we conducted, we found that many go to bed on an empty stomach at times. This prompted the Minister of Finance to inform the cabinet that sorghum should be exempt from taxation, a point that was embraced and endorsed by the members,” Yel revealed.
“The memo is appropriate, especially as people are returning to farming. Additionally, the roads used to transport food from Sudan are blocked due to the ongoing conflict there,” he said.
The information minister also added that they would crack down on traders who do not comply with the order to exempt taxes and continue to raise the price of sorghum, which currently costs 14,000 SSP for 4 kg—an amount many people find hard to afford.
In another development, the state government has issued an order to impose a 20% tax on livestock being transported to Juba, applicable per animal, whether cow or goat.
This measure aims to address the loss of cattle in the state and to pool resources through this taxation procedure.