By Jerromie S. Walters
As of September 30, 2024, the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) says it has achieved a significant milestone, collecting a total of $513.8 million in domestic revenue. This figure represents an impressive 74% of the national domestic revenue target of $694.4 million for the year, marking a 12% increase compared to the same period last year.
The LRA’s collection efforts have surpassed the year-to-date revenue target by $54.3 million. The 2024 national budget has set an ambitious target of $738.86 million, with $696.4 million expected to come from domestic tax collection and an additional $42.4 million projected from external support.
Notably, as of now, no contributions have been received from external sources, highlighting that all revenue collected thus far has been generated domestically by compliant taxpayers.
With $513.8 million already secured against the pre-recast annual domestic revenue target of $696.4 million, the LRA is on track to meet its revenue goals for 2024.
This comes at a time when the Commissioner of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) is in the news over the purchase of a vehicle valued at US$96,000 by former Commerce Minister Amin Modad.
The controversy centers around allegations that Modad authorized the purchase of a customized vehicle valued at US$96,000 by the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) for his personal use. This purchase is alleged to have violated the 2024 budget law, which stipulates that vehicle procurement costs, except for the highest-ranking officials such as the President, Vice President, Speaker, Pro-Tempore, Deputy Speaker, and the Chief Justice of Liberia, should not exceed US$45,000 after duty.
In a release on September 23, 2024, the LRA attempted to clarify the situation, denying the purchase of a vehicle valued at US$150,000, as some reports suggested. The LRA confirmed that it had approved a request from the Ministry of Commerce in early May 2024 for US$96,000 from its Customs Capacity Building Fund under the Destination Inspection (DI) Contract with MEDTECH Scientific Limited (MTS) for vehicle purchases intended to support trade-related activities in collaboration with Customs.
The LRA emphasized that the specifications and deployment of these vehicles were determined by the Ministry of Commerce, not the LRA. Contradicting the LRA’s clarification, Minister Modad maintained that the vehicle in question was purchased for the Ministry of Commerce, with payments made directly to the vendor, and that no funds passed through the ministry or his accounts.
He also refuted claims that the vehicle was custom-made or that it was purchased for US$150,000. “I’ve been using my vehicles, including an S-Class Mercedes, since I took office eight months ago, and I cover the costs of fuel and my driver’s salary myself,” Modad stated.
