Government begins salary payments for public sector workers – Reform Committee

The government has started paying salaries to public sector workers, beginning with the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, according to the Ministerial High-Level Committee on Economic Reform.

Acting Rapporteur of the committee and Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, said the salary payment process started on Monday and will continue with other organized forces before public servants.

Speaking to SSBC yesterday, Gatkuoth said the government is also working to strengthen domestic revenue collection, including taxes paid in cash at border areas.

“We are also happy to announce that the process of paying salaries has started today, this Monday. The South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, they have started their salaries, receiving their salaries today,” Gatkuoth announced on Monday.

“And we will go to the other organized forces and also the public servants will be paid after that. The process has started and the good news is that taxes that are being paid in cash, we are receiving cash in all the border areas and also,” he added.

Gatkuoth was speaking after a meeting of the Ministerial High-Level Committee on Economic Reform, chaired by the Minister of Information, and Deputy Chairperson of the committee, Ateny Wek Ateny.

The minister said the committee is also reviewing tax exemptions and warned businesses and institutions against using non-statutory exemptions to avoid paying taxes.

He stressed that tax evasion is a crime and warned that individuals and businesses found evading taxes will be held accountable under the law.

The committee also discussed efforts to make the South Sudan Revenue Authority the sole government agency responsible for collecting taxes and other revenues across the country.

“We are discussing the issue of non-exemptions because all those who are doing businesses in the Republic of South Sudan should pay tax. And those who are actually going to be found violating these non-exemptions or non-statutory tax exemptions will be held accountable. Everybody, tax evasion is a crime. You should not evade tax,” he said.

“You should pay tax. Because if you are found not to be paying tax by evading tax, definitely you will be held accountable and the law will be applied on you. It was a good day today and we had a good meeting,” he added.

Minister Lol said the Revenue Authority has contracted companies, including Crawford-Capital Pay, to assist with revenue collection.

However, he emphasized that the companies must operate under the authority of the Revenue Authority.

He said no company, institution or other agency should undermine the Revenue Authority’s mandate as the country’s principal revenue collection body.

The announcements come as the government seeks to boost domestic revenue collection and improve salary payments as part of broader economic reform efforts.