Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The South Sudan Revenue Authority has temporarily suspended the Juba City Zoning and Taxpayer Registration to provide room for broader consultations with key stakeholders
In a press statement this afternoon, the SSRA said this decision followed extensive feedback and concerns raised by various stakeholders during the initial stages of implementation.
“The suspension aims to provide room for broader consultation with business leaders, local government officials, civil society organizations, and development partners,” it said in a statement on Friday.
It added that as a public institution committed to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness, it recognizes the importance of meaningful engagement with all relevant actors in the country’s tax ecosystem.
“This will help ensure that the exercise is clearly understood, widely supported, and closely aligned with national priorities and the expectations of taxpayers,” it added.
On Tuesday, the South Sudan Revenue Authority said it began zoning Juba City into ten areas for a new taxpayer registration campaign aimed at boosting revenue collection and improving tax compliance.
According to Simon Akuei Deng, the Commissioner General of the Revenue Authority, the exercise involved door-to-door registration of all businesses, service providers, and self-employed individuals across the capital.
Akuei said the process was free of charge, and no one is allowed to demand payment during the registration.
He warned that anyone found impersonating South Sudan Revenue Authority officials or collecting money will be prosecuted.
Reacting to the move, the Central Equatoria State Government rejected it, citing constitutional overreach and lack of consultation.
In a press briefing following a state council of ministers meeting on Thursday, acting Minister of Information and Communication, Jacob Aligo Lo-Lado, told journalists that the Council had unanimously resolved to oppose the SSRA’s zoning plan.
Now, the South Sudan Revenue Authority said the suspension of the exercise will help ensure that the exercise is clearly understood, widely supported, and closely aligned with national priorities and the expectations of taxpayers.
It said the taxpayer registration and zoning exercise was launched to create an updated and reliable taxpayer register
SSRA said expanding the tax base would increase domestic revenue mobilization while ensuring fair and efficient service delivery.
While the objectives remain critical to South Sudan’s fiscal development, SSRA believes that proper consultation and collective ownership are equally vital to the success of such reforms.
The institution said it is looking forward to the National legislature enacting the National Tax Procedure Act that will clearly and extensively define the different taxes collected by the three levels of government, the National, State, and local.
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