Liberia Revenue Authority Commissioner General-designate, Attorney Dr. Samora P.Z. Wolokolie, is a man with impeccable academic achievements, leaving footprints in public service that have been well documented.
Despite the political outcry that greets his nomination here Tuesday, 2 January 2024 by President George Manneh Weah, Dr. Wolokolie, currently Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, has been a great asset to the government's financial house since his ascendency there.
His education, qualification and professional experiences are public records that are by all accounts, undebatable and highly esteemed.
The NEW DAWN has been skimming the achievements of Atty. Wolokolie while serving as Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning since February 14, 2023.
Revenue and Tax Policy
He effectively presented and defended national budget revenue estimates before the 54th Liberian Legislature for five consecutive years, providing professional guidance on tax policy that increased revenue from 2018 to 2023.
Dr. Wolokolie led the transition of the fiscal year from September to June to align with the calendar year (January to December) and supervised transitional activities on Value Added Tax (VAT).
The incoming Commissioner General also managed amendments to the Liberia Revenue Code, focusing on streamlining tax expenditures in accordance with section 16 of the Liberia Revenue Code, while issuing administrative regulations to facilitate trade and enhance revenue generation.
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Expenditure Policy and Execution
In his professional journey at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, he established transparency in budget execution by weekly publication of fiscal reports on the Ministry's website, demonstrating a clear adherence to transparency and accountability of public funds.
He implemented a comprehensive data management system, encompassing processes and people, while strengthening and promoting a robust Cash Management System that propels preparation of cash plans guiding allotment processes based on available cash resources in the bank.
Dr. Wolokolie is a team player and was very instrumental in renewing and extending the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program for Liberia.
He also instituted fiscal measures leading to a significant decline in inflation from double digits to single digits and an increase in the economic growth rate that sustains the cash stricken Weah administration in the last fiscal period.
Politics aside, Wolokolie is no novice coming to the revenue house. But the question that lingers in the public is whether he will win the confidence of the incoming Boakai administration that has already run to court to challenge his nomination for obvious political reason. Story by Jonathan Browne
