Jenifer James
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Deputy Chairperson of the National Chamber of Commerce John Lual speaks to the journalists in Konyo Konyo Market. [Jenifer James, The City Review]
The government of South Sudan is mulling the clearance of the illegal roadblocks along the Juba Nimule Highway pin-pointed by the traders as dens of extortion where some security officers collect money from commercial and passenger cars.
In an exclusive interview with The City Review over the weekend, the deputy chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce, John Lual, said the government eyed the move as one of the ways of easing the pressure on the traders to reduce the prices of commodities.
“We have met with the government to close all the illegal roadblocks, so they (the government) promised us (the chamber) that there will not be a single roadblock along the normal road from Nimule to Juba, so the prices might go down,” he said.
“The citizens will soon experience a reduction in the prices of food in the markets since the government has started to address the challenges facing the traders.”
Lual added that the government had suspended the electronic cargo tracking note (ECTN) payment, which requires every trucker to $ 350 at the Nimule border before proceeding to Juba.
Last week, local traders blamed the government for taxing the traders on the roadblocks along Juba Nimule Highway.
John Loro, the national trader, stated that reducing taxes and fixing the exchange rate issues would solve the price snag.
“For us, the local traders, we normally import food items from Uganda, but from the Nimule border up to Juba, taxes are everywhere, which is why we double the prices to get at least something for survival,” he said.
Last week, the minister of trade and industry met with representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Planning, the Commissioner of the Customs Division, the Director of the Economic Division at the Internal Security Bureau, members of the South Sudan Chamber of Commerce, and others to address the issue of the $350 imposed on traders.
According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, William Anyuon Kuol, plans are underway for the government to review the contract with INVESCO Company to adjust the electronic cargo tracking notes (ECTN).
“They (traders) are protesting that these fees are a lot and they need them to be reduced. We agree with the company that brought this system, the government called INVESCO, and based on that agreement, the government promises to review the contract.”
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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