Chaired of Economic Reforms Committee and Minister of East African affairs, Pieng Deng Kuol (Photo by SSRA PU)
JUBA — The government of South Sudan said all imported fuel will undergo quality re-certification as part of efforts to ensure petroleum products entering the country meet required standards.
The measure was discussed during a meeting of the Economic Reforms Committee, held in Juba on Thursday, which received a presentation from the South Sudan Bureau of Standards on fuel marking, dipping, and testing.
The committee said the quality-control measures are intended to verify the quality and quantity of imported fuel and protect consumers from substandard petroleum products.
The meeting was chaired by Pieng Deng Kuol, Minister of East African Affairs.
During the meeting, the committee received presentations from the South Sudan Bureau of Standards on fuel marking, dipping, and testing; the Ministry of Roads and Bridges on the use of weighbridges; and the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) on the proposed National Taxation Conference.
Speaking to the media after the meeting on Thursday, the committee’s rapporteur, James Mawich, said the re-certification process is expected to strengthen monitoring of fuel imports and ensure that petroleum products supplied to the South Sudanese market comply with established standards.
“The Committee had resolved that all fuel entering the country should be tested and marked to ensure quality, protect consumers, and strengthen regulatory oversight,” Mawich said.
Mawich, who also serves as minister of water resources, said the committee had also recommended reviewing the public-private partnership agreement between the Bureau of Standards and firms.
“The Committee had also called for a review of the existing public-private partnership agreement between the South Sudan Bureau of Standards and its affiliated companies to better reflect government interests and improve revenue collection from fuel-marking activities.”
He said the committee also resolved to convene the country’s first-ever national tax conference as the government seeks to strengthen domestic revenue mobilization and improve the country’s tax administration system.
The conference is expected to bring together government institutions, tax authorities, businesses, and other stakeholders to discuss challenges affecting revenue collection.
The symposium is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders to examine the country’s tax policies, identify gaps in the revenue system and propose reforms aimed at improving compliance and broadening the tax base.
The committee emphasized the importance of weighbridges in regulating the weight and dimensions of heavy trucks and protecting the country’s roads from damage caused by overloaded vehicles.
The discussion followed a presentation by the minister of roads and bridges, Peter Lam Both, and his team during the committee’s meeting.
He said the committee supported the ministry’s proposal to allocate funds from non-oil revenues to rehabilitate the Juba–Nimule Highway.
He said the investment would help boost regional trade and strengthen domestic revenue mobilization.
He added that the committee had noted a positive response from taxpayers to the recently introduced cash-payment policy for government revenue-collecting agencies.
According to the Committee, the policy has improved liquidity and enabled the government to expedite the payment of salaries in cash.
