President George Manneh Weah has directed the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to present a new schedule to ensure immediate tariff reduction on wide range of basic commodities imported into the country.
The President has observed that the current tariffs regime including the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) is causing a serious hike in the cost of basic commodities in the country, thus adversely affecting the Liberian people, especially the poor.
The President deems this as unacceptable and further expressed that it contravenes the premise of the pro-poor agenda, an Executive mansion press release says.
The President asserts that he will leave no stone unturned in making sure that basic goods are made affordable and that the public is not strangulated by unreasonably high tariffs.
The current tariff regime which was implemented during the final days of the past administration has increased tariffs, in some cases to as high as 40 percent.
The President has mandated the Commissioner – General of the Liberia Revenue Authority, to report on his directive within 72 hours.
Meanwhile, the Executive Mansion says President Weah’s recent trip to France is paying dividends as a French NGO, LA CHAINE DE L’ESPOIR, has expressed interest in providing support to the health sector.
Few weeks after his inauguration, the Liberian leader paid an official visit to France and held discussions with French government officials and other stakeholders to lend support to Liberia.
Among those President Weah held discussions with were authorities of the NGO, LA CHAINE DE L’ESPOIR – that promised to pay a first-hand visit to Liberia.
President Weah met with the delegation Thursday, May 24, 2018 at his Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia.
The delegation expressed the NGO’s desire to build a specialized hospital to transfer knowledge to Liberian health workers and particularly cater to the healthcare needs of the Liberian people.
A CHAINE DE L’ESPOIR is presently operating in a few Francophone countries including Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal.
Liberia will be the first Anglophone – English speaking country- to benefit from the hospitality.
Earlier, President Weah commended the NGO for living up to its promise by coming to Liberia.
He assured them of his government’s fullest cooperation and vowed to ensure that the requisite authorities in the health sector liaise with them to accomplish their goals.