By Matik Kueth
President Salva Kiir has instructed the National Revenue Authority (NRA) to tighten revenue collection and strictly enforce existing tax laws, following revelations that excessive tax exemptions and weak compliance are costing South Sudan billions of dollars in lost revenue.
According to the Office of the President, Kiir issued the order on Wednesday after receiving a briefing from the Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority, William Anyuon Kuol, who outlined both the Authority’s revenue potential and the challenges undermining effective collection.
Anyuon updated the NRA’s capacity to raise sufficient domestic revenue to cover government salaries, fund routine operations, and support key national development projects.
He cautioned that this potential is being eroded by systemic obstacles, chief among them undue and unnecessary tax exemptions.
According to Anyuon, exemptions granted to a small number of wealthy individuals and corporate entities have deprived the government of billions of dollars that could otherwise support public services and stabilize the economy.
He also cited limited cooperation from sections of the business community and other taxpayers, as well as inadequate support from some stakeholders, as additional barriers to compliance.
South Sudan’s revenue challenges come against the backdrop of a fragile economy heavily dependent on oil, recurrent budget deficits, and persistent delays in public sector salary payments.
With oil revenues fluctuating and inflation squeezing household incomes, the government has increasingly turned to non-oil revenue as a critical lifeline for sustaining state functions.
The NRA, established to modernize tax administration and broaden the country’s revenue base, has been central to this effort.
Yet its work has often been undermined by weak enforcement and politically connected exemptions that critics say favor elites at the expense of the wider population.
The head of state’s latest directive signals a renewed push for fiscal discipline and accountability, raising expectations of a tougher stance on tax enforcement and a possible review of existing exemptions.