Sierra Leone being a donor driving state has been battling to meeting it national obligations to it citizens and for that reason, it requires locally generated taxes to surmount that which many say has been the reason for past governments to be dependent in donor support by 60%.
In addressing this problem, the Government of Sierra Leone resorted to provide an ultra-modern scanning equipment which according to investigation, has never been in use for it intended purpose thus led to huge loss of government revenue at the 3rd revenue port of the land over the years.
The said defunct scanning facility now described by many as white elephant according to security and tax pundits, helps to envision whatever content in any vehicle including sealed trailers that brings merchandise at the same time helps border security personnel to identify contra banned goods that any one attempt to smuggle into Sierra Leone from Liberia and Guinea.
This scanning facility donated by the European Union under the Freetown/Conakry road project in 2012 to the Government and people of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Guinea, was a mechanism to support both Governments in its revenue mobilization drive at the same time major preventive equipment that has the potential to destabilize any major external hostility.
It is several years gone since the installation of the said scanning facility at Gbalamuya, a government entity with a multitude of volunteers whom allegedly pay themselves over the years through several illegal activities engaged in that includes drug trafficking.
According to sources close to the country’s major tax collector, the multi million dollars-worth scanning facility and all it accessories including computers were deliberately made to be malfunctioned allegedly by volunteers who thought the scanner was undermining their illegal commercial activities which has in the past been negatively impacting on the economy of the country.
The less than 3 months old administration with Dr. Samuel S. Jibao as Commissioner General of the country’s major tax collector, NRA has promised to bring the scanner up and running again as he put it during his familiarization visit to Gbalamuya “this is no business as usual”.
