The South Sudan Revenue Authority has issued a stern warning to public officials, advising them to cease the use of the outdated Financial Form 15 for the purpose of collecting government revenue.
The cautionary statement was made during a joint media briefing conducted with the Director of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration at the headquarters of the revenue authority in Juba.
Simon Akuei Deng, the Commissioner General of the tax agency, announced that a newly updated batch of Financial Form 15, equipped with enhanced security features, has been printed, distributed, and officially sanctioned for use across the nation.
Despite this, there have been reports of certain individuals and entities persisting in the use of the antiquated forms, disregarding the approved new version.
In response, investigations have been initiated in order to discern the reasons behind the continued circulation of outdated or falsified forms, with the aim of safeguarding the integrity of the revenue system.
Commissioner General Akuei Deng stated, “The South Sudan Revenue Authority, in its mission to protect government revenue and uphold transparency and accountability in all financial dealings, observes with concern the persistence of certain individuals, organizations, and offices in the possession and use of obsolete financial forms.”
He continued, “This practice is improper, illegal, and unacceptable, particularly considering that a revised series of customized financial forms with upgraded security features has already been produced, distributed, and officially sanctioned for use throughout the Republic of South Sudan.”
Maj Gen Elia Costa, the Director General of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration, addressed the issue of document forgery within his department, including Form 15, visas, nationality papers, passports, and other immigration documents.
“We have detected instances of forgery within our directorate, specifically of Form 15. Consequently, we have apprehended certain personnel involved in the forgery of Form 15, as well as in the falsification of visas, nationality documents, passports, and other immigration papers,” he stated.
He went on to emphasize, “It is our priority to communicate our commitment to apprehend those engaging in document forgery. Upon arrest, these individuals will be prosecuted in a court of law.”
Gen Costa urged members of the public and institutions to adhere to the proper procedures and personally process their documents, rather than delegating this responsibility to others.
