MIA Ends Daylong Expert Seminar On Municipal Digital Tax Payment System

By T. Ezekiel Geepplay

 The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) on August 31, 2024, held a daylong informative seminar on digital tax payment systems amid efforts by the ministry to modernize municipal revenue systems in Liberia. 

The seminar according to MIA Assistant Minister for Urban Affairs, Mark Jabateh, also aims at making a significant step towards aligning with global trends in digital governance and financial management.

The MIA Assistant Minister said local governments seek to improve their revenue generation capabilities, citing that the insights shared by facilitators will play a crucial role in shaping the future of municipal tax collection in the country.

"The seminar organized by the Ministry aimed to enhance understanding of the digital transformation in municipal revenue generation," Assistant Minister Jabateh explained.

During a PowerPoint presentation session, a promoter from Orange GSM Company Gibson Doepoh, emphasized the significance of the Local Government Act of 2018, which granted city authorities the exclusive rights to generate their revenues.

The Orange GSM official stressed the urgent need for MIA, through its Urban Affairs division, to develop a comprehensive digital database to streamline municipal revenue collection.

“Implementing a digital system across cities in the country would introduce essential checks and balances in the tax collection process," Doepoh stressed.

He highlighted that the new digital platform would simplify the identification of taxpayers through innovative methods such as phone number tracking, coding, and geographical mapping.

In contrast to the current paper-based system, which relies heavily on ledgers and cash transactions, Doepoh pointed out that the traditional approach is vulnerable to fraud and inefficiencies, stressing that a move towards digitalization would not only enhance transparency but also improve the overall efficiency of tax collection