-Cabinet endorses proposal in emergency meeting
By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I
Minister of Information Culture and Tourism JerolinmekMatthew Piah has revealed that President Boakai’s cabinet has mandated and endorsed the Liberia Revenue Authority to raise the national budget to one billion.
Minister Piah made the disclosure at the climax of the emergency cabinet meeting on Thursday, August 15, 2024, “This meeting was actually on revenue generation, and the LRA boss has committed himself to generating the revenue.”
The Minister intimated that the LRA boss requested the cabinet to increase area of investment in the workings of the government revenue generating organ to ensure that the LRA is proficient enough to generate the needed revenue that will reach the national budget to one billion.
Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) Commissioner General, James Dorbor Jallah, who officially assumed leadership of the Tax Authority on Friday, March 1, 2024, outlined his ambition for reform and progress in revenue collection, emphasizing the pursuit of autonomy for the LRA.
Commissioner General Jallah during his Inaugural address, set a loftier goal of surpassing the US$1 billion milestone. He emphasized the pivotal role of the LRA in advancing the government’s development agenda, stressing the government’s dependence on collected revenue for success.
To achieve ambitious revenue targets, Commissioner General Jallah urged staff to maintain unwavering integrity in their duties. He announced plans to enhance existing whistleblowing programs to enhance transparency and integrity within the LRA.
He emphasized that autonomy would facilitate strategic investment in technology, enabling automation and providing staff with the necessary resources to fulfill their duties effectively.
It can be recalled, that President Joseph Nyumah Boakai as standard-bearer of the Unity Party pledged to raise Liberia’s national budget to over one billion United States dollars during his presidency by improved tax revenue collection.
The then-opposition political leader contended that revenue collection has been consistently underreported due to the government’s failure to disclose the full extent of tax collection.
During his Montserrado County campaign tour, specifically in Districts 11 and 12, in September 2023, he accused the government under the leadership of his predecessor George Weah of diverting these funds for personal use rather than investing in the well-being of the Liberian people. Boakaiasserted, “Every year, our budget falls short of six hundred million dollars because tax collections are underreported. They declare less than they collect, and we are aware of it. Under our administration, we will ensure transparent reporting of all taxes collected, to create opportunities for our citizens.”
He further promised that his administration would prioritize job creation to empower citizens, reducing their dependence on government assistance for daily sustenance. The LRA was established through an Act of the National Legislature in 2013 and began operations on July 1, 2014 as a semi-autonomous agency of Government.
The core mandate of the LRA is to administer and enforce Liberia’s Revenue Code of 2000 as amended in 2011, and other related laws under which it is assigned responsibility, for the purpose of assessing, collecting, auditing and accounting for all national revenues and for facilitating legitimate international trade through border management and enforcement.
