-As he warns tax collectors against taking kickback
By Frank Sainworla, Jr, fsainworla@yahoo.com
At his first engagement with a cross-section of Liberian media executives at a local hotel on Wednesday, the Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Mr. Thomas Doe-Nah declared: “My views on corruption has not changed.”
Mr. Doe-Nah, who comes from a civil society integrity and anti-graft advocacy background, said as head of the nation’s tax office he won’t settle down for taking any kickback, while warning tax collectors not to take bribes in executing their duties.
In August 2018, President George Weah appointed one-time Executive Director and co-founder of the Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL) as head of the LRA, replaces Mrs. Elfreda Stewart-Tamba whose tenue ended on June 30, 2018.
“We’ll not expect that the media will always be favourable to us,” he pointed out.
However, the LRA boss said Journalists “must be truthful and objective” in their reportage about issues in society.
According to him the media can play a pivotal role in LRA’s ongoing efforts to increase the collection of lawful revenue for the country by instituting a “people-center” engagement with the media to spread the message of tax education far and wide.
He said the “LRA is the center of the Pro-poor Agenda and announced that are plans to boost domestic revenue collection to US one billion dollars from the presence level of around half a million US dollars annually.
“Domestic resource mobilization is key at this time,” the LRA boss said.
According to him, it is possible to increase revenue to one billion US dollars, only if all pay their taxes.
In a report released recently, the LRA disclosed that it had exceeded projected revenue collection by US15.4 million from July 1-December 31, 2018.
The total revenue collection for the period mentioned was US218, 222, while the actual amount collected was US233, 641 million.
While promising that the LRA was prepared to partner with the media, Mr. Doe-Nah urged the media to support the LRA to increase domestic revenue collection, in order “to make Liberia better”.
The LRA and the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) are among state agencies whose heads are stripped of tenured position in a new law submitted by the Executive and approved by the Legislature during its first session last year.