Juba traders threaten to close shops over multiple taxations

The business community in Juba has threatened a shutdown citing multiple and unregulated taxations by various authorities in the city.

The group aired frustration over what they described as an unbearable business environment that continues to worsen yet the authorities have turned a deaf ear to their plight. 

To address the issues, the South Sudanese business leaders encompassing chairpersons of all markets in Juba, the representatives of Kenyan, Ugandan, and Somali business communities met with the Central Equatoria State Chamber of Commerce to discuss the serious challenges facing them in the country.

In the discussions, the head of the markets in Juba accused the Juba City Council of acting out of their mandate to fleece innocent business owners.

Samuel Majak Mabior, the chairperson of Rock City and Mauna Market, said Juba City Council ‘is ‘silently torturing the traders’’.

He said the business owners were being forced to pay amounts tantamount to triple taxation that they could not sustain.

“The business people are suffering silently. It has now tortured them. They have reported to us several times that they are soon going for the strike because they are now left with no choice,” he revealed.

“We the market chairpersons have witnessed it and it is unlawful taxation because you will see different categories of people collecting money from businesses,” Mabior said.

“They comprise the city council, state revenue authority, National Revenue Authority, security personnel, license fee, fire brigade fee, garbage fee, and another fee, fee, fees,” he added.

The chairperson of Konyo-Konyo Market Charles Ibrahim said it was time for the city council to engage traders in dialogue to avert the strike.

“We have only one problem, which is the mayor himself. He came in and never understood what was going [on], how business people are supposed to be handled and now he made many innocent and vulnerable women and youths stay home doing nothing,” he said.

 “We are telling you as the Chamber of Commerce let the mayor open his eyes before it is too late,” he warned.

The Central Equatoria State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture Robert Pita called on the traders to continue with their business as he promised to take the issue to the country’s higher authorities.

“They came to present their challenges especially the issues of taxes, which are indeed very high including unnecessary fines which are not in bylaws. They include the illegal collections of money in the market,” Pitia revealed.

According to Pitia, the group also raised the issues of women who were flushed out of the market by the Juba City Mayor and are now suffering at home after their stalls were demolished.

“What they told us is that there is no way out for them to sit, they should close their shops than wasting time in the market only to pay money to those people.

“But we told them to be patient. I promised to take their issues ahead because they cannot go on strike only because of City Council. I believe there are some authorities higher than them,” he added.