South Sudan Gov’t introduces online work permit’s issuance and E-tax system

The National Revenue Authority (NRA) on Wednesday launched an E-tax payment system that will allow public and private institutions to pay their taxes online.

The E-tax system aims at accelerating the modernization and automation of tax collection, besides gathering additional data from taxpayers in the country, according to Albino Chol, NRA Commissioner of Domestic Tax Division.

The government also recently launched an online service for issuing work permits for all foreign nationals wishing to work in South Sudan.

The ministry of labour announced this development saying work permit will be processed online, and it is mandatory. Based on South Sudan employment regulations, employers who wish to hire a non-South Sudanese national must apply for a work permit for certain job categories.

Both initiatives, as noted by an observer, are excellent and commendable. The NRA and the ministry of labour are counselled to sustain the initiative.

According to NRA, the E-tax system will enable taxpayers to pay their dues electronically for the first time as they move away from the previous manual system of tax payment.

Also, the ministry of labour in its own presentation of the online work permit system explained that the ministry wants to make sure that the best services are given to South Sudanese where it can fit them. The ministry wants to leverage technology to reduce the stress of people coming down to ministry or working with papers.

Both the E-Tax and the online issuance of work permits are to assist and enhance efficiency in the system if properly managed. For instance, the E-tax system is an excellent method to close all leakages, while the Online issuance of work permits provides a comprehensive database of all foreign nationals working in the country.

Hopefully, both systems will be sustained and properly managed so that South Sudanese can benefit from both projects in the long term.