Conflicting personal income tax (PIT) demands from both the National Revenue Authority (NRA) and State Revenue Authorities are placing crippling pressure on national NGOs in South Sudan, threatening their ability to continue delivering essential services.
The latest warning comes amid a broader and ongoing dispute between Central Equatoria State and the SSNRA over tax collection mandates, a standoff that has left many organizations and businesses uncertain about where to remit taxes without risking duplication or penalty.
Caught in the middle of this unresolved tug-of-war are national NGOs, who say they are being forced to pay PIT twice: once to the national body and again to state-level authorities.
The situation, the national non-governmental organizations warn, is not only financially unsustainable but also risks derailing critical community support programs.
The Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmond Yakani, voiced grave concern, saying national NGOs are being unfairly squeezed.
“We are not refusing to pay personal income tax,” Yakani explained. “But the reality is that we depend on donor funding, which is shrinking by the day. Being asked to pay PIT twice is unreasonable and unacceptable.”
He added that whichever authority receives the payment, the other invalidates it. “The National Revenue Authority considers payments to state authorities as zero, and vice versa. How can we operate in such an environment?”
Yakani issued a direct appeal to the President, Vice President for the Economic Cluster, Parliament, and the Ministry of Finance, urging them to urgently address the growing crisis.
“Let us not be blamed if we close our offices,” he said. “We are sounding the alarm now, so action can be taken before it’s too late.”
He also criticized what he described as “unfair demands” to pay PIT on interns and volunteers. “We are being stretched beyond our limits. The little services we provide are now under attack.”
Yakani called for a constructive and amicable solution, urging authorities to implement existing resolutions from the 8th Governance Forum before the NGO sector is pushed to collapse.
