By Ragan M. Conteh

The National Revenue Authority (NRA) on Tuesday 18th June 2024 faced the Public Account Committee (PAC) on the Auditor General’s Report.

The PAC has unearthed serious problems of documentation from the revenue generating institution, NRA.

The committee investigations have discovered serious financial issues while billions of Leones are still unaccounted for.

Speaking to authorities, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, spoke on  the manner in which NRA is conducting its operations especially on the failure for the institution to have proper documentation regarding the collection of taxes.

The Deputy Speaker further said  government needed money for development and if the NRA are unable to generate and account for billions of Leones from several institutions and businesses people, he said, there would be serious problems.

“We are not beggars, everyday people molest us for given us money.” “We keep on begging to have funds and NRA that supposed to collect taxes have issues to collect taxes and withholding and other taxes running to billion are still in the hands of rogues, ” Hon Tawa said.

What is disheartening, Hon Tawa Conteh stated, is that they  as MPs are merely paid Le21,000 per month, adding the salaries of ordinary directors will pay MP monthly and the leftover will also equivalent to give what MPs received a month.

He stated that MPs want to increase and abstained salary payment.

He further stated that, if only NRA could work towards collecting taxes all issues of payment of salaries would be a thing of the past.

He was committed to recovering all monies that supposed to go to government’s coffer that ended up in the hands of the wicked few.

“I am prepared to recover 32 billion Leones. While NRA is struggling to  generate more revenues, ” Hon Tawa stated.

The Deputy Speaker, however, ordered the National Revenue Authority to furnish the Committee with documents of withhold payment by companies as  they ought to pay as stated by the Audit Service.

The Director of Finance at the National Revenue Authority (NRA), Philip Mammie Koroma,  defied an instruction given by Parliament to write letters to the various banks and ensured that monies by  private entities like K-Communication among others are paid to  government.

According to the deputy Speaker, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, the Director of Finance, Mr. Koroma said institutions do otherwise, something he said, is a total disrespect and disregard to the Law House.

Hon. Conteh emphasized that the order given in January 2024, but only after 18 months now that he Director of Finance is informing the committee that the liabilities are no longer liabilities and  have been paid by the various entities involved.

According to the Speaker, State Own Enterprises (SOE) are supposed to pay thirty-nine million old Leones Le39,000,000 to the government, stressing that is a colossal and huge amount which he vowed  not to let go.

Hon. Tawa further instructed NRA to write the letters to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB) to ensure that the monies are paid.

The Director of the National Revenue Authority NRA, Philip Mammie Koroma,  believed that there was lack of communication between the parties, and he  disclosed that the said amount was no longer a liability and the amount had been reversed.

Mr. Koroma assured the committee that they declared Nle351, 000,000, but the deputy speaker frown at the time which is eighteen (18) months before the amount is no longer liabilities.

Hon. Tawa said NRA Director of Finance presented a cock and bull story without documents evidence.

The committee’s chairman was more concerned about why it took the Director of Finance, Mr. Koroma to realize the amount were not liabilities.

He said Mr. Koroma was before the committee on 10th June, 2024, but he also failed to inform the committee that the monies were false liabilities.

The monies are with regard to arrears on GST from taxpayers owed to government of Sierra Leone.

The deputy Speaker said one of the MPs name popped up on the  list of names  and he assured that they are going to work with the Accountant General’s Department to make sure that the said amount is paid.

‘As MPs, when they set example it will show that they are ready for accountability,’ he noted.

‘So if we are doing to MPs, so I did not expect excuses from the National Revenue Authority (NRA),’ he said.

The resolution was passed and assured that they are doing the necessary follow-up in form calls; text messages and those they will be even sending letters to them.

The deputy speaker assured that he wanted to keep the record of everything and kept track on record on the resolution that has passed.

He cited section 54 of the Public Financial Management Act of 2016 as to how they will recover monies from taxpayers.