All mobile telephone companies operating in South Sudan should pay taxes to the government, an official says.

Paul Jumi Logale, the chairperson of Economy, Development and Finance in the national parliament, said the government should ensure that all the mobile telephone companies are registered according to the Authority Act of 2012.

He said some of the companies are still operating under Khartoum’s National Telecommunication Corporation Act of 2003, which means they pay tax in Sudan.

“Either they register here or they get out,” said Mr. Jumi.

Mr. Jumi’s committee recently presented a report to the national assembly that showed Vivacell, the country’s leading mobile phone operator, had paid no tax to the government.

The report also stated that MTN and Zain paid taxes last year for the first time after South Sudan attained independence.

They found that South Sudan loses billions of pounds.

“Why should we lose this money?” he asked.

“That is why we want the ministry of justice to find out what happened to the exemption; who gave the exemption?”