Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A civil society activist has questioned why the money collected by the National Revenue Authority does not appear in the form of services for citizens.
Lorna Merekaje raised the concern after the South Sudan Revenue Authority said it collected 956 billion South Sudanese Pounds in just under eight months. This is the highest revenue ever recorded by the institution.
While announcing the amount, Simon Akuei Deng, the Commissioner General, said the entire revenue was sent to the Ministry of Finance and Planning.
However, Merekaje, who heads the South Sudan Democratic Engagement, Monitoring and Observation Program, said the collection should translate into services such as roads and hospitals for the people.
“You hear about all that money, the Gurush, and the figures are always talked about, but we don’t see any change in people’s lives or improvements in services. Taxes are collected so we can have hospitals that actually treat us, and schools where our children can learn.
“Look at the roads in Juba — they’re almost completely worn out. Everywhere is blocked, and cement is being laid just to cover the erosion. So, where is the money to properly fix these roads?” she asked.
She said such amounts should be seen in changing people’s lives and in offering services.
“When you consider all this, you have to ask: What exactly is South Sudan doing with the money we have? We had oil money, and now we’re collecting even more from non-oil revenues. Where is all that money going?” she wondered.
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