Monrovia — Local business owners in Johnsonville are accusing the authorities of Johnsonville Township and the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) of colluding to exploit them by imposing excessive municipal taxes.
According to the business community's leadership headed by Dennis Toe, Township Commissioner John Randalls and the PCC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly collect taxes from residents and businesses. They allege that businesses are being charged between US$50 and US$550, depending on their size.
Several owners claim the PCC has even seized their businesses and confiscated goods for failure to pay--actions they describe as illegal since they were allegedly carried out without court warrants.
When contacted, PCC's Director of Communications & Media, Jeremiah Kpadeh Diggen, said the corporation was not acting independently but under a joint arrangement with the Johnsonville Township authority. He said the PCC was not imposing excessive taxes. Commissioner Randalls, however, has not responded to repeated inquiries from FrontPage Africa.
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Defiance of Legislative Instruction
According to the business leaders, the controversy dates back to the beginning of this year when Representative Sekou Konneh intervened and ordered the suspension of municipal tax collections in Johnsonville until a proper policy could be developed. He also instructed Commissioner Randalls to engage business owners in dialogue to agree on a fair tax system.
But during an initial meeting, business leaders say Commissioner Randalls abruptly walked out, claiming he was disrespected after being addressed as "Mr. Randall" instead of "Hon. Randall."
Shortly after, they alleged that the Commissioner's Office misinformed residents that Rep. Konneh had approved the tax, leading some businesses to pay the inflated fees.
Renewed Collections in 2025
Business owners say that despite previous payments, the Commissioner's Office has redeployed staff to collect new taxes for 2025, insisting that payments made earlier were for 2024.
"This situation represents a clear case of suppression and abuse of authority," the business community said in a statement, stressing that they are already paying their lawful taxes to the central government.
"While we are not opposed to paying municipal taxes, they must be fair and transparent. It is unacceptable for municipal taxes to be more than three times higher than those levied by the national government."
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Owners further alleged that local authorities have dispatched tax enforcers into the field to seize goods or lock up businesses that fail to comply.
Call for Intervention
The business community has renewed its appeal to President Joseph Boakai, their lawmakers, and the Montserrado Legislative Caucus to intervene and halt what they describe as exploitation by Johnsonville and Paynesville authorities.
