Monrovia — Deputy Commissioner for Technical Services-designate of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) Gabriel Montgomery has told members of the ways Means Finance and Development Planning Committee of the Senate that weak tax laws and political interferences are hindering LRA from collecting lawful taxes.
He made the claims when he appeared before the Senate Ways, Means and Finance Committee of the Senate for confirmation. He also suggested to lawmakers ways and reasons why lawmakers should consider making stronger tax laws, especially real estate.
"We are not able to collect lawful taxes because of political influences and weak tax laws. The law is weak it does not give me the authority to get people out of their priorities, especially those in residential buildings."
Montgomery has 18 years of experience working at the LRA. When confirmed he said, he will, among many things, work with the head of the LRA to provide training for staff of his department that gives them the capacity to conform to reality.
"If confirmed, I will have a TOR to coordinate the development and review the implementation of strategic goals of the taxpayers' services division, National revenue accounting and the reconciliation section, management information system, and risk enterprise.
"I will use my experience and my skills to help my boss to enhance the growth of government revenue, and curtail abuse and tax evasion. Improve tax payment channels and built staff capacity to conform to reality.
"There are a lot of challenges and some of those challenges are political and the law to enforce is very difficult. Every time we try to enforce real estate law on people defrauding the government of taxes people in higher political positions will normally influences."
Revenue performing
In response to a question from Senator Abraham Darius Dillon (LP-Montserrado County) about what is the performance of revenue collection as the fiscal year draws to an end, he told members of the committee that as of present, the revenue component is performing to expectation.
His comments contradict President George Weah's letter sent to the Senate that there is an expected budget shortfall of over one million dollars. President George Weah on Tuesday submitted his government proposed budget for the fiscal year 2023 to the legislature in the amount of US$777.9 million -- down by nearly US$29 million when compared with the US$806.5 million approved budget for fiscal year 2022.
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The proposed budget for 2023 is not different from the last five years, featuring massive recurrent expenditures, and yet fails to reach the US$1 billion mark that has been envisioned by the government and less than the fiscal year 2022 Budget.
"We present the Draft National Budget noting that over this fiscal year, domestic economic activities have been reasonably robust with revenue performing better than expected at mid-year," said Tanneh Geraldine Brunson, Deputy Finance Minister for Budget and Development Planning, during the submission of the Budget to the Office of Speaker Bhofal Chambers.
Brunson noted that despite external shocks and depressed export earnings, "the macroeconomic fundamentals of our economy, by and large, remained resilient with the Liberian dollar maintaining a stable exchange rate against the United States dollar and inflationary pressures kept in check."
The total resource envelope of Weah's proposed Budget consists of US$667.9 million as domestic revenue (85.9% of the budget amount), while external resources on-budget account for US$110 or 14.1% of the proposed budget cost of US$777.9 million.
US$295.6 million of the amount has been set aside for salaries for all 65,000 government employees and all other personnel related expenditures.
The Public Sector Investment Projects budget is US$153.99 million, key of which includes a US$46 million allocation for the TRANSCO CLSG power grid, which the World Bank has pinned its hopes on to drive Liberia's future economic development; US$26.82 million National Road Fund, and and US$37 million for next year's elections.
