South Sudan Revenue Authority Headquarters in Juba, South Sudan - COURTESY

The Acting Commissioner for the Domestic Tax Revenue Division, Ajang Ajang Lino, has warned that unauthorized tax exemptions and interference in tax collection processes will no longer be tolerated, saying all exemptions must be legally grounded and publicly accessible through digital systems.

Speaking during a media briefing in Juba, Ajang said reforms in digitization have significantly improved revenue collection while reducing unregulated tax exemptions.

“Our digitization efforts have helped us now to see that any exemptions you require have to be seen by the people of South Sudan online,” Ajang said. “That’s why a majority of these exemptions have now scaled down, supported by Presidential Order Number 35 issued in December, that no more exemptions that are not legally based.”

He added that all future exemptions must comply with the country’s tax laws.

“All exemptions we shall be giving going forward must be legally based, they must be statutory. That means they must be based within our tax law,” he stated.

Ajang also warned against political interference in tax collection and compliance, urging citizens and businesses to fulfill their obligations without seeking protection from influential individuals.

“The interference in tax collections and tax compliance will not be tolerated. We are encouraging you to leave the politician aside, leave the general aside, and do your obligations as a responsible citizen of this country,” he said.

According to Ajang, before the introduction of digital services in 2021, revenue collection stood at roughly five billion South Sudanese Pounds and below. By April 2026, collections had increased to 157 billion Pounds.

“2021, before we moved into digital services, we were collecting roughly five billion and below. But as of April 2026, we were able to collect 157 billion,” Ajang explained. “What has helped us is digitization. There used to be a lot of exemptions, and when you give a lot of exemptions, it impacts tax collection.