Mamer Abraham
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s failure to implement the East African Community Treaty is to blame for the high charges incurred on exports at the Elegu border, a senior customs official said.
Customs Officer at the Nimule, Maj Agnes Jendia, told the commissioner-general of National Revenue Authority, Athian Diing Athian on Sunday that the country is being charged 35 per cent when transporting its fish across the Elegu border. But Jendia argues that this is something that the country can avoid by implementing the treaty.
“If our fish reaches Elegu (in Uganda), they charge us 35 per cent because we are not using their fees, but otherwise, if we are supposed to implement the East African Treaty, our fees will be charged at zero per cent since we are part of East Africa. And here also we are losing revenue,” she stated in the report.
The Acting Commissioner for the Customs Division of NRA, Maj. Gen. Gathon Jual Riek, said the challenges the customs officers faced included a lack of accommodations and transport facilitation.
“The challenges include the accommodation, the facilitation in the form of transportation,” he lamented, adding he would do his best to actually cover them.
Athian Diing Athian, the commissioner-general of the National Revenue Authority (NRA), pledged to address the challenges faced by customs officers in Nimule.
“We kind of explore all the avenues of trying to work to improve their working conditions especially accommodation and all other facilities that are missing,” Athian stated.
“We talked about getting them a fire engine because they have issues of fire breaking out in some places and sometimes, they don’t have a way of firefighting in those areas,” he said.
He added that they had already signed an MoU with JICA to ensure training is conducted to boost productivity.
The NRA hiked customs exchange rates on imported goods in August 2022 after the Parliament approved it on June 9, 2022, and consequently signed by President Salva Kiir.
The increment was such that a former cost of a commercial product which was SSP45 would be increased to SSP90 for any items that carry $1 value.
The former NRA commissioner-general, Patrick Mugoya claimed the change was aimed at taxing imports and exports.
“In accordance with the Financial Act 2021/2022, merchandise value in foreign currency shall be converted into South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) using the conversion rate of SSP 90 for USD 1 instead of SSP 45 per dollar that was applicable prior to the enactment of the Financial Act 2021/2022,” the circular noted.
But the commissioner-general of customs revenue, Ayii Madut, slammed this saying it was unconstitutional and a breach of the laws of the nation.
“Your circulars are received by my office and seem to be unprincipled and misguided based on how you make them up without lawful conformity and respect for the constitution of the Republic of South Sudan,” Madut stated.
“I am a constitutional post holder, appointed as Director General of the South Sudan Customs Service by President Salva Kiir, President of the Republic of South Sudan in 2018. Nobody has powers except the president of the Republic to prevent any power vested in me as Commissioner of Customs Service. “
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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