LRA Renews Warning To Real Estate Owners

By Bill W. Cooper
The Commissioner General (CG) of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Thomas Doe Nah has reechoed calls to real estate property owners to earnestly pay their real estate property taxes in order for government to smoothly carry on its governmental functions.
He stressed that the issue of tax collection is critical to the transformation of every countries, and said that it is important for the government and the citizenry to have a lot of conversation in order to gain common sense to know where the country is heading as one will have disagreement in the process.
Making his PowerPoint presentation at the Ministry of Information (MICAT) regular Thursday briefing, the LRA boss noted that in the next coming months, those who are refusing to pay their real estate property taxes should not be dumfounded if they see their properties in the various Newspapers out for sale, as his office will take it seriously.
Commissioner Nah added that the LRA as a government institution is not run on Facebook or in the media as many are always doing but will instead utilize all power given to the authority in order to move forward as it is useful in the transformation of the state.
He added that taxes that are contributed to real properties should meet the concern of every citizens making reference when he appeared as guest on the ELBC super morning show stating, “I last spoke about the LRA seizing and selling those who are refusing to pay their real property taxes and giving them the different, there was a lot of controversies and conversation, but we weren’t deterred by it as we are running a revenue authority which is a robust business.”
The LRA boss explained, “Though people have the right to disagree with us, but there is something that is laid down in law that is very important to know about these things. The LRA has changed in many ways, as we have now moved from robust enforcement, though it is necessary but we also believe that our people have not been engaged sufficiently as well as being provided with adequate information.”
Additionally, he said, “We have now engaged a lot of relationship building exercise in order to pamper the tax payers so that they can decide to robustly enforce the public that there are basic causes to go after them and some citizens have properties and living in the United States of America (USA) but have refused to pay their taxes for the last 20 years, as they need to pay their taxes because the country’s transformation does not take place like that.”
Among many things, the LRA Commissioner General emphasized that in order for the country to smoothly run, they, from the angle of the LRA need to go after people that are refusing to pay their taxes, exerting that citizens have “small mind” and want to speak on how the country can go on but when they are very resilient and forceful about things, then people begin to complain.
“You can be an advocate if you like as it is everybody’s right to talk. Whatever you want to say, you can say it and we will respect that but notwithstanding, those who are in other parts of the country with properties and do not want to pay their taxes have to do so very soon, as I am very clear on it because. I have not changed but very straight when it comes to corruption. Countries that are transformed today are from citizens paid taxes and we will not be able to pay civil servants if we do not pay our taxes,” he averred.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Nah has warned those who are said to be occupying major spaces in Sinkor, Broad Streets, Harper, Greenville and Zwedru amongst others that the LRA will pursue their properties in order for them to settle their obligations with the government.
He further stressed that he will apply the law that governs the authority to get government ‘s revenue and not to satisfy anybody but to do the Liberian people’s work, as he will not listen to any talk show host to hear them lying to those who he said can give money to hear lies in the name of advocacy.