By Solomon T. Gaye, Sr.
Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) over the weekend sealed the offices of the two biggest GSM companies, the Lonestar MTN central office situated at the John Wesley Pearson Senior High School as well as including the Orange GSM Transmitter site connected to the generator entrances in Ganta City, Nimba County
The offices of the Orange-Liberia GSM transmitter site situated in Deakehmehn Community was immediately locked up on the orders of the Division of the Real Estate Tax Enforcement which is carrying out inspection exercises in various districts in the county.
The GSM companies were allegedly ordered locked for related tax issues which were not disclosed to the press during the exercise; but exercise which was being carried out by the Liberia Revenue Authority team hampered the operations of the two GSM companies and lasted for over 24 hours.
According to some employees of the GSM companies, the LRA’s Real Estate Tax Enforcement Division mandate to lock the offices of their operation site was not to their knowledge and was only designed to tarnish the image of the companies.
The front door of the Orange GSM Towel that housed the generator was locked on April 2, over the weekend that caused many of its staff to park their personal belongings along with some sensitive documents belonging to the company to a different location.
The two GSM Companies; the Lonestar MTN and Orange Liberia are providing electricity to most of the community radio stations operating in the county and since the closure of these GSM companies for alleged tax related issues, community radio stations fear being cut off power supply which will also stall their activities.
Since the arrival of the enforcement team in the county, the RAHUL Building Material Stores controlled by group of Indians, the Bunty Pharmacy controlled by Indians as well as the Lonestar MTN and Orange GSM are among the companies hooked on allegations of tax related issues.
Speaking to this paper during the exercise in Ganta over the weekend, the NP Family Tree Business Center CEO, Nathan Kpakai, explained that no business is refusing to pay its Real Estate Tax to the government.
He frowned at the manner in which the LRA is carrying out the exercise by locking several business centers and at the same time requesting five years payment as real estate tax without educating the public or formally informing the businesses or at least sensitizing the citizens though radio programs in the county.
When this paper contacted the LRA, its officials refused to speak to press on grounds that, they were not authorized to do so.
When this paper contacted the Orange GSM sale store, the agents explained that their boss had gone to Monrovia and therefore, they too were not authorized to give any information to the media or give his contacts to anybody.
When this paper also contacted the Lonestar, the management refused to comment on grounds that, the issues did not concern the media.