Liberia: 'County Officials and Stakeholders Should Take Ownership of Real Property Tax Expansion'

31 August 2023
The New Dawn (Monrovia)

-Assistant Commissioner Jaber

The Assistant Commissioner for Real Estate Tax Division at the Liberia Revenue Authority, Mr. James A. Jaber over the weekend said all county officials and stakeholders should take ownership of Real Property tax expansion awareness and sensitization of own-source revenue through tax awareness and education.

Mr. Jaber made the disclosure at the launch of a week's long training exercise across Nimba, Margibi and Grand Basssa Counties under the theme, " Realizing Fair Share of Revenue through Real Property Tax for County Development and Growth.

The week's long training was a joint collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning in partnership with the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to expand Own-Source Revenues through Real Property Tax Administration.

The Real Property Tax Administration awareness and sensitization of own-source revenue through Real Property Tax is geared towards the government's domestic resource mobilization strategy that seeks to boost revenue collection, growth and development across the rural areas.

According to Hon. Jaber, the Liberia Revenue Authority planned to expand its Local Government Real Property Tax Administration into fourteen counties, which will be led by the Real Estate Tax Division considering the complexity and the demand for resources.

However, the awareness and education to county and local stakeholders on Real Property tax expansion will provide an opportunity to understand the components of Own-Source Revenues and benefits to county development and growth.

The tax expert explains how the project intends to create citizens' preparedness to contribute to national development, expand real property sector databases, close the gap on revenue leakages and loopholes, increase real property compliance, increase revenue collection, growth, and improve county development through revenue sharing.

He noted that Real Property Expansion Pilot Project is intended to broaden the tax base, increase collection of revenue across the counties that provides an opportunity to give back to Local Governments fair share of the revenue collected from Real Property tax paid in the counties and creates incentives to encourage Local Governments to be effective and efficient in tapping on their own revenue mobilization potentials.

For his part, the Coordinator for Public Financial Management Reform Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Mr. Joseph K. Fahnbulleh extended thanks and appreciation to local authorities and stakeholders for their full participation and readiness to help support the local government through tax awareness and revenue expansion.

Today, we are gradually seeing a great transformation in terms of improving tax expansion and services to our people across the counties. We also look up to more engagements with citizens in order to increase our tax base for growth and development.

For their parts, Superintendents' across Nimba, Margibi and Grand Bassa Counties praised the Government of Liberia through the Liberia Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning for a huge step towards creating awareness and sensitization on real property tax expansion in the counties.

We appreciate the efforts, time and knowledge provided to create awareness and boost revenue sharing that will benefit the counties on a fifty percent share between central and local government for growth and development from a centralized system to a decentralized system.

The launch of a week-long training exercise across Nimba, Margibi, and Grand Basssa Counties was attended by Superintendents; Local County Officials; Representatives from Business Communities; Rural Women; Youth Groups; Civil Society Organizations; Assistant Commissioner, Mr. James A. Jaber; PFMRCU Coordinator, Mr. Joseph K. Fahnbulleh; Public Financial Management Specialist, Mr. Spencer A. Weah; and Senior Financial Compliance Officer, Mr. Thomas F. Brima, Jr.

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