PHOTO: U.S. Charges d’Affaires Catherine Rodriguez speaking Thursday at the National Dialogue
On Thursday, April 4th, the U.S Chargé d’ Affaires Catherine Rodriguez attended the National Dialogue on “Accelerating Decentralization, Improving Transparency, and Mobilizing Resources” supported by USAID Local Empowerment for Accountability and Decentralization (LEAD) Activity.
The event brought together nearly 150 of Liberia’s local and national leaders, members of civil society, and integrity institutions to discuss strategies for improving service delivery, mobilizing revenue, fiscal reporting, public participation in budget discussions, budgetary decentralization, tax expenditure, and the VAT system.
In her speech, Rodriguez highlighted the importance of efforts to increase revenue and how they must be complimented with solid oversight and accountability of those resources.
Rodriguez called on the Legislature to pass the Value Added Tax Bill which she states will align Liberia with global best practices and provide an opportunity for Liberia to increase its revenue by 40 percent to reach $1 billion by 2027. The increased revenue, she said, could be used to support many of Liberia’s development needs— pay teachers and doctors, improve schools and hospitals, and build roads. She pledged the U.S. government’s support in implementing VAT with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA).
Rodriguez also lauded President Joseph N. Boikai’s administration’s call for public sector audits. Still, she said, the government must act on the findings and recommendations of audit reports to address deficiencies, including prosecuting individuals guilty of fraud, waste, or abuse of public resources. “While the U.S. government is pleased to support this effort, we want to be clear that the government of Liberia is in the driver’s seat,’’ she said. ‘The government of Liberia must demonstrate a culture of accountability.’’
Rodriguez thanked the Liberian government, particularly the MFDP for partnering with the USAID LEAD Activity to host the National Dialogue.
In his remarks, the USAID LEAD Activity Chief of Party, George Akl declared that decentralization, fiscal transparency, and improving domestic mobilization are essential for Liberia’s progress and prosperity. Decentralization empowers local communities to make decisions that impact their lives. Akl also said LEAD Activity will work towards improving revenue generation capacities, optimizing tax systems, and enhancing public financial management with the ultimate target of supporting Liberia in financing its development priorities.
The LEAD Activity is a five-year project launched on May 19, 2023, to enhance the capacities of targeted ministries, agencies, and commissions as well as local government: the Ministry of Finance Development and Planning, Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Governance Commission, and civil society. The project’s work in Grand Bassa, Bong, and Nimba counties aims to foster the development of robust tax policies, enhance budgetary transparency, promote decentralization, and improve service delivery at the sub-national level by bolstering domestic resource mobilization efforts.