Another giant step forward: Taxes to soon be paid to NRA through banks
There are a lot of positive strides forward within the National Revenue Authority (NRA) which I implore the media, civil society groups, and transparency institutions to look into and give wide coverage to, and support for, in order that we can continue building a stronger foundation for one of the most vital institutions in the country: one of such great things happening that taxes will soon be paid to the NRA through commercial banks in the country.
The NRA will soon be notifying businesses and other tax payers alike that taxes would soon be paid through commercial banks – like Rokel Commercial Bank, Union Trust Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, Ecobank, United Bank for Africa, Zenith Bank, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, First International Bank. Arrangements for this to happen are on course. This is an innovation. Before now, taxpayers pay taxes only within the three or so ‘Tax District’ offices of the NRA in Freetown, and in about five offices in the provinces. With the aforementioned banks located in almost every corner of the country (with over 30 of their bank branches in Freetown alone!), the new system will not only make it easier for the taxpayer to meet his tax obligation, but, it is a quantum leap in the accountability mechanism of the Authority . The banks would keep records of taxes being paid electronically. Such records can be easily accessed by the government’s Accountant General’s Office – and even the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) can ‘peek’ into these accounts, if they wish. So very soon, it will no longer be a few NRA officers who know how much tax are being collected, and who is paying what.
Haja Kalla Kamara, Acting Commissioner General, NRA
In the past, there were opportunities for tax assessors to under-assess a taxpayer. The taxpayer could then, hypothetically, pay 25% LESS tax than he/she is entitled to. Because it was mainly a manual system of assessing and paying taxes, such an arrangement would remain only between the tax assessor and the taxpayer. The old opportunity for graft in the tax administration system will now end with the new system of paying taxes in commercial banks.
If for example, a taxpayer is supposed to pay Le10,000,000 in taxes, and the tax assessor assesses him to pay Le1,000,000; and the taxpayer pays this Le1,000,000 – there will be an ‘audit trail’ which can be accessed by the NRA’s Monitoring, Research and Policy Department staff or the NRA’s Internal Audit and Controls Department staff; or staff in the government’s Accountant General’s Office; or, authorized staff in the Office of the President; or, the ACC. Such records can be accessed at the punch of keyboards – not like in the past, when mountains of files would have to be examined to get data. This is similar to what is now ongoing at the Customs and Excise Department with the introduction of the ASYCUDA++ system – where there is an ‘audit trail’ for every transaction done, and where payment is also made through banks.
The NRA has been labeled the ‘lifeblood of the nation’. It is from the NRA that government gets revenues to pay the salaries of teachers, lecturers in university (who are now asking for more pay), soldiers, policemen and women; construct roads, etc. given the vital role of the NRA in nation building, it is mandatory for all patriotic citizenry to give support to the NRA. That is why this writer appeals to the media especially to always ask questions before they publish anything about the NRA; and to continually publicize the positive things about the NRA so that there would be greater public trust for an institution which must hinge its operations on public trust.
By Abraham Karl Samura
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