(JUBA) – Tax collectors across South Sudan have finished a three day training course aimed at helping them explain tax rules more clearly to the public, part of a wider push to bring more people and businesses into the tax net and boost domestic revenue. The workshop ran from 23 to 25 June and brought together staff from the Taxpayer Education Services Department and the Strategy, Research and Planning Department.
The sessions focused on sharpening communication skills. Trainers worked with staff on how to guide citizens through the registration process and how to encourage people to pay taxes willingly rather than through force. Building voluntary compliance is seen as critical in a country where the tax base remains narrow and many small traders operate outside the formal system.
Deputy Commissioner for Strategy, Research and Planning Angelo Aguot Deng said the training was designed to give staff the tools they need to teach taxpayers about their obligations. He told participants to use what they had learned in every meeting with the public. Deng said better public understanding of taxation is the foundation for a wider tax base and more stable government income.
ATAF consultant Uwitonze Jean Paulin, who specialises in taxpayer services, said he looked forward to seeing the revenue authority turn the workshop skills into real improvements on the ground.
The training is part of ongoing work by the South Sudan Revenue Authority to strengthen taxpayer services and support efforts to raise more money from domestic sources, reducing reliance on oil revenue and foreign aid.