MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has gathered from multiple sources within the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) that the Deputy Commissioner for Administration, Samuel Bennett, Jr., has begun assuming the functions of Commissioner General Thomas Doe-Nah.
By Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
According to our sources, this has created a serious rift between the pair and has by extension begun affecting the LRA’s smooth operations.
“When the Commissioner left the country, Deputy Commissioner for Administration, Samuel Bennett, without the consent of the Commissioner General made new appointments and transfers. We were shocked to know that the Executive Mansion is backing him,” the source said.
FrontPageAfrica gathered that collectors at the Freeport of Monrovia and Bo Waterside were transferred with immediate effect without meeting the needs such transfers come with. There have also been several changes at headquarters. These changes which were previously opposed by the Commissioner General were effected when he had left the country on official duty.
Section 21 of the Act that established the LRA states that the Commissioner General shall among other things, be responsible for the administration and supervision of the execution of the Code, the direction and day-to-day; management and administration of the Authority, for the supervision of officers, managerial staff, and other employees of the Authority as well as other matters of the Authority.
“The Commissioner General being the Chief Executive Officer of the LRA is supposed to be informed of and approve all major administrative decisions but this is no longer the case and it is already affecting collection of revenue because they are no longer working together,” the source said.
The Director of Communications at the LRA did not respond to inquiries on this development.
Source: “The reason why I’m concerned and reaching out is that this is going to adversely affect the collection of revenue. This is an election year and collecting revenue is already challenging. Since this crisis began, revenue collection has declined,” the source disclosed.
FrontPageAfrica gathered that most the those being appointed by Deputy Commissioner Bennett are members of the ruling CDC.
“They did this same thing when Alfreda Tamba was Commissioner before Thomas Doe-Nah was appointed and she rejected it. Thomas Doe-Nah also didn’t buy into it because of the need to keep the LRA professional. And let’s give him the credit, under his regime, the country has recorded its highest Domestic Revenue since its foundation. Thomas has taken the country’s domestic revenue envelope from a little over US$400 million to almost US$700 million.
“Not only that the revenue continues to increase, the business climate has also improved, but the turn around time at the LRA has also progressed, the quality of customer service is on the rise and the quality of staff is at an incremental speed.”