The South Sudan Revenue Authority is sparking major controversy after it has started to deploy its tax officials into medical facilities in Juba.
And indeed the National Revenue Authority of South Sudan has officially confirmed the deployment of a permanent team of its staff inside Juba Teaching Hospital to collect revenues from the facility.
This is an unprecedented move which is raising concern and heated debates in the already troubled East African Country.
The move is causing people to ask the South Sudanese government about the legality of the process and its impact on the alleged free healthcare services in the country.
According to the Sudan Revenue Authority’s statement, the decision aims to enhance revenue collection from activities within the facility.
However the declaration was issued without clear details on the scope or the specific targeted entities.
However, hospital officials expressed worry saying they were all in confusion, stressing that the services provided are entirely free and do not include taxable commercial activities to an extent of attracting the tax men.
For its part, the Sudan National Revenue Authority has not provided further clarification on whether the collection applies to commercial shops or private pharmacies within the medical complex.
This step comes as part of the authority’s efforts to boost non-oil revenues, as recently announced by its new tax commissioner.
But the development seems to have coincided with criticism over expanding tax policies without considering the country’s difficult economic conditions or the wellbeing of its people.