Double taxation and other bureaucratic procedures have strangulated revenue generation at the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Authority.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, Tuesday, December 3, 2024/Liberia’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) Director General, Madam Emma Metieh Glassco, says double taxation instituted by both the Liberia Revenue Authority and NaFAA has drastically strangulated the fisheries sector’s revenue generation base, leading to dozens of foreign vessels leaving Liberian waters.
Speaking on Monday, December 2, 2024, during a live interview simulcast on 15 local radio stations, Mrs. Glassco described NaFAA as a business arm of the government. Still, she argued that business has its highs and lows.
She also blamed the drop in NaFAA revenue generation in the fisheries on the non-compliance of Artesian fishermen and the decline in programs and laws surrounding the Liberian fisheries sector.
She said some of these unfavorable regulations contributed to the departure of 33 European Union vessels fishing in Liberian waters.
According to Mrs. Glassco, due to some of the challenges outlined above, there has been a steady decline in the number of vessels that have expressed interest in the NaFAA registration process to fish in Liberian waters.
‘’ This is because of several reasons. First, we discussed the expired SSPS agreement. The next one is that we brought a flag vessel to Liberia, which was left out of our registrant because of double taxation.
The Liberian Revenue Authority had charged the Flag vessel US$2 million. In contrast, we (NaFAA) also charged them some license fees and other charges,’’ Madam Glassco disclosed.
She identified other factors contributing to the revenue drop in the fisheries, such as high export fees. Liberian law required high export charges on exported aquatic products.
To address the high cost associated with exports, the NaFAA Director General said her entity’s Board was able to pass a resolution to reduce export fees by 50%, which was consistent with the law.
Madam Glassco lamented that despite the reduction in export fees, most companies operating fishing vessels in Liberian waters still left mainly due to double taxation.
She said they initiated a trained fishing operation following the vessel’s withdrawal, leading to a revenue shortfall.
Mrs. Glassco disclosed that Liberia’s major revenue source in the aquatic industry is Tuna fish. However, despite its demand on the global market, out of the 77 fishing vessels here, the country can only boost by 16-20 as of 2024.
“This is where we had the shock. Some of the issues they registered when we called a meeting with the vessel’s agents, they noted that there is a boat called the ‘’Sea Shepherded’’ that is patrolling the Liberian waters and their concerned was when they go to sea the ship can mount their vessels. There have not been a lot of entrances in our waters. We have the numbers. We have a monitor, and when a vessel comes, they can tell us, and most of the vessels are foreign. But now, we don’t see lots of entrance into our waters.’’ She alarmed.
However, Mrs. Glassco narrated that there are ongoing back-channel negotiations with vessel agents and the Liberian Coast Guard to handle some of the issues raised by the companies and ensure that the sector raises more revenue as it has in the past.
“I am telling you all these things so you know it’s far from our reach. However, all we can do is create a program and develop strategies to create a conducive environment for them to enroll in our programs,” she added. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah
