Juba, South Sudan
October 15,2021— South Sudan business community, which is made up of mostly Ugandans, Kenyans, Ethiopians, Somalians, Sudanese and Eritreans, decry how rising taxation and inflation have forced many businesses to close down and remain a threat to both suppliers and consumers.
Speaking out in attempt to engage the government, leaders of business community explain how poor regulation of the market, depreciation of the currency and high taxes forced the traders to increase commodity prices to pass down the effect to consumers; however, that in turn decreases demand and force businesses to close down.
According to the chairman of the Konyo-Konya Market Chamber of Commerce, Charles Ibrahim, the Juba City Council is responsible for high and multiple taxes thrust on their businesses by government agencies.
“The City Council is responsible for the rising prices of commodities in the market because there are multiple taxes being imposed on us. People should know that businesses run by South Sudanese are collapsing and this is affecting all of us,” he said.
On his part, Robert Pitia, the Chairman of the Central Equatoria State Chamber of Commerce, said the traders are experiencing too much taxation and that leads many of their businesses to collapse.
“The taxes are becoming too much, the fines are becoming too much, and all these [government] entities are in the market,” Robert Pitia, said at a press conference on Thursday.
He said the traders are very disappointed and might decide to close their businesses if there is no alternative to taxation policies.
“The only option the traders have now is to close the market, but we asked them to wait. So we are sending this message so that the government can address the issue,” Robert said.
Representative of Kenyan traders in Juba, Ms. Everdeen Agino, said they could no longer bear the heavy burden of multiple taxes imposed on their products.
“These people from the City Council they just come and when they see you are a foreigner, your license will be doubled. And since Covid-19 started all these businesses are down, and now the money we get cannot even pay the rent,” she said.
A representative of Ugandan traders in Juba, who only identified himself as Mr. Thomas, the market is poorly regulated and that has given businesses freedom to set their own rules and likewise different authorities are enforcing taxes as they wish.
“In the market, everybody is selling the way he or she likes because there is no guidance from the government. So we request the government to guide the traders.”
