Pay or go to jail, Juba City Council tell tax defaulters
Every household in Juba will, starting next week, pay at least SSP 2,000 in garbage fees to the city council.
According to Mayor Michael Allah Jabu, the Payam Quarter Council will go door-to-door to collect the latest charges as the city council embarks on a revenue collection exercise.
“That’s why our people are suffering and many roads are not being opened due to a lack of money for the town rate, which is made for service delivery to the people in the city,” he said.
Allah Jabu said the town rate has been in existence, though it has not been implemented in the last three years.
Last week, the council announced plans to tax all land and property owners in the city under a new tax scheme.
“Town rate is the rent of the land from the government because the land belongs to the government, especially those lands that have been officially demarcated,” Allah-Jabu stated.
The mayor, however, blamed the city council tax collectors for not doing enough to create awareness among the public about the taxes charged by the city council.
He added that the town rate tax will vary from class to class—the first class, the third class, and the fourth class.
“The amount of town rate taxes is changing from year to year, and it’s paid annually according to the plot in the city, not the household.”
“The demand note is being formulated and will be distributed by the local quarter councils from door to door,” Allah-Jabu continued.
According to him, the quarter block directors are supposed to collect the garbage fee but not the city council members.
The JCC’s acting CEO, Mogga Ngangki said defaulters will be prosecuted.
“If anyone fails to pay the tax, we will apply the law. Either you pay or go to jail as per the local government act,” Mogga said.
“Town rate is one of the most difficult sources of revenue to be collected by the city council, but most of our people are not willing to participate in the change of their environment,” Mogga said.
He added that Juba City will soon establish the Juba City Special Court to try cases related to local and public order.
“If anyone fails to pay the tax, we will apply the law. Either you pay or go to jail as per the local government act.”
