By Grace Q. Bryant
Nimba County Electoral District 6 Representative, Dorwon Gleekia has reminded his colleagues about Chapter 6 of the 2021 Revenue Sharing Law of Liberia.
Appearing on the House’s Public Affairs Show on State Radio ELBC on Thursday, the lawmaker said the law provides for sharing of Natural resources between Central and Local Governments considering the source (county) from whence the natural resource revenues are generated.
He told the audience that distribution of said revenue shall be as 10% to the county of origin of the natural resource revenues, 25% to all the 15 local governments, including the county of origin, 60% to the central government towards its general revenues; and 5% to communities and/or counties affected by the exploitation and transportation of the natural resource for shipment overseas or processing within Liberia.
He stressed that Chapter 6 of the Law provides payments of revenues by a concessionaire to the government not to be considered the concessionaire’s annual Corporate Social Responsibility to the county of origin and affected communities.
According to Rep. Gleekia the Responsibility designated to be shared amongst the counties are not to be deposited in the Central Government’s Consolidated Account at the Central Bank but rather into a Transitory Account that is to be established at the Central Bank and then distributed to the counties’ accounts that are to also be opened at the Central Bank.
The Nimba County lawmaker said he wrote a Communication on the House’s floor seeking the indulgence of plenary to invite the Minister of Finance and Development Planning along with the Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority to explain to us why this portion of the Revenue Sharing Law intended to enhance the economic growth of the 15 Counties and districts are not being implemented after years of enactment.
Meanwhile the Communication was read and endorsed by plenary of the House of Representatives and a motion was proffered by Bong County Representative Foday Fahnbulleh that the communication be sent to the committees on ways Means and finance and Internal Affairs to invite Finance, Internal Affairs and LRA on the implementation of the above law.
