He warned that those heading revenue generating entities should desist from steering the affairs of those public entities as their private companies.
Monrovia – The chairman of the Senate Committee on Revenue, Gbenzohngar Milton Findley, has sounded a warning to authorities of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) against reneging to timely contribute their respective projections captured in the current National Budget for Fiscal Year 2024.
By Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
Senator Findley is representing the people of Grand Bassa County in the 55th National Legislature.
According to the Public Financial Management Law of Liberia, a State-Owned Enterprise is a commercial enterprise or any other organization established by law, in which the government has controlling shares, which produces goods or services for the market and finances. It operates largely on the basis of its own revenues.
Senator Findley observed that with six months already gone in the current budget year, many revenue generating entities of the Liberian government are delaying in contributing their allocations projected in the national budget.
He made these comments during a public hearing with heads of revenue generating entities of the Liberian government, including the Ministers of Mines and Energy, Commerce and Industry, the Director General of the Liberia Revenue Authority, National Port Authority (NPA), Liberia Immigration Service, Liberia Petroleum and Refining Company (LPRC), Forestry Development Authority, amongst others held at the Capitol Building in Monrovia recently.
Though Senator Findley did not name a particular SOEs that is involved, he noted that the delay by these SOEs to remit their shares of revenues collected to the national budget has the propensity to deprive Liberia and its citizens the needed social and infrastructural benefits.
According to him, many of these revenue generating entities of the Liberian government prefer keeping monies generated into the personal accounts of their entities, instead of releasing their projected allocations in the national budget to the government, through the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA).
He warned that those heading revenue generating entities or enterprises of the Liberian government should desist from steering the affairs of those public entities as their private companies.
“We cannot have SOEs making money, monies sitting into their accounts and we know that monies are sitting into their accounts and they don’t want to give the dividends. It’s not their private companies; these companies are government owned,” he said.
He maintained that heads of various SOEs would be opposing the progress of their government or the ARREST agenda of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai if they failed to meet their budgetary targets and release monies from their entities’ accounts to the government.
Senator Findley admitted that as opposition lawmaker, he and many others are already wishing for the failure of the Boakai’s administration and as such; those who were appointed by the President to serve and help him accomplish his agenda can join them if they also want the UP led-government to fail.
“You cannot collect the money and you keep the money and say you don’t want to pay your contribution (to the national budget).”
He stressed that President Boakai will only “look good” in the eyes of the public based upon the performances of these SOEs and their contributions to the national budget.
He challenged the Director General of the LRA Dorbor Jallah to execute the budget law and hold those going on the contrary accountable.
Senator Findley, however, gave the LRA boss a two-week grace period to act in line with the Budget Law of Liberia, especially Section 8. He vowed to recommend to the Plenary of the Liberian Senate a contempt charge against Director Dorbor and others if they failed to act in accordance with the budget law of Liberia.
He disclosed that his stance is intended to ensure that promises made by elected government officials, including Representatives and Senators to promote a program-based budget and help improve the living conditions of the citizens, through the budget are fulfilled.
Senator Findley maintained that it is also intended to ensure that basic social services are provided to Liberians.
