MONROVIA, LIBERIA – The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with civil society organizations (CSOs) to promote taxpayer education, voluntary compliance, transparency, and sustainable domestic revenue mobilization.
LRA Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah made the commitment over the weekend, when he officially launched the Government of Liberia–Civil Society Organizations (GOL–CSO) Accord and Partnership Policy Framework Implementation Strategy at the Governance Commission in Monrovia.
The strategy provides a framework for strengthening collaboration between government and civil society and seeks to increase implementation of the Partnership Policy from approximately 20 percent to 80 percent by 2027. It also provides for a Civil Society Trust Fund, an annual National Partnership Summit, a Partnership Policy Technical Working Group, and decentralized registration and accreditation of civil society organizations.
Commissioner General Jallah said the LRA’s involvement reflects the important role civil society plays in promoting accountability, public awareness, and responsible citizenship.
He noted that Liberia’s historic achievement of surpassing US$1 billion in domestic revenue collection during Fiscal Year 2026 is a collective national achievement, made possible through the contributions of taxpayers, businesses, importers, employees, and civil society.
The LRA Commissioner General emphasized that sustaining revenue growth will require stronger voluntary compliance and public trust. He identified Value Added Tax (VAT), real estate revenue, customs integrity, and modernization of tax and customs systems as key areas of focus.
He disclosed that the LRA is partnering with the Governance Commission on a broad public education campaign ahead of the implementation of VAT on January 1, 2027, to ensure that traders, businesses, and consumers understand the changes, their rights, and their obligations.
Commissioner General Jallah further emphasized that civil society can play a critical role in extending taxpayer education to communities, promoting compliance, identifying revenue leakages, and strengthening accountability.
“Taxation and civic engagement are two sides of the same social contract,” he said, emphasizing that citizens are more likely to comply when they understand how public revenue is generated and how it contributes to national development.
As part of the partnership, the LRA outlined three key commitments: expanding taxpayer education to CSOs and communities across all 15 counties; supporting simplified registration and compliance by integrating Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) registration into CSO registration and accreditation, while promoting timely payroll tax withholding and filing; and transparent tax exemptions through clear requirements and timelines for qualifying organizations, alongside measures to prevent the misuse of duty-free privileges.
Commissioner General Jallah also invited civil society organizations to provide constructive scrutiny of the LRA’s operations and report integrity concerns, noting that public trust is essential to effective and equitable revenue administration.
The LRA’s commitments form part of its broader efforts to strengthen voluntary compliance, improve taxpayer engagement, and mobilize sustainable domestic resources to support Liberia’s development priorities.
The launch brought together representatives of government institutions, civil society organizations, development partners, faith-based organizations, and other stakeholders.
