Western Bahr el Ghazal orders closure of two airline offices over five-dollar stamp duty

The caretaker government of Western Bahr el Ghazal State has reprotedly ordered the closure of Kush Airlines and Arojet Airlines offices in Wau over their failure to implement a five-dollar stamp duty on air passengers.

According to  Wau-based Voice of Hope The directive follows objections raised by Kush Airlines against the state government’s decision to introduce the charge on every passenger travelling by air.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Caretaker Minister of Finance, Planning and Investment, Brigadier General Julio Velario Osman, said the government was implementing the duty in accordance with constitutional provisions.

He said Kush Airlines had initially complied with the directive but later stopped remitting the collected charges.

Velario Osman warned that failure by private businesses to comply with government revenue policies could create misunderstandings between companies and the authorities.

He also commended businesses that had implemented the directive.

Meanwhile, Ishaq Mohammed Mustafa, a consultant with the State Revenue Authority, said the five-dollar stamp duty is payable by individual passengers and not airline companies.

He said the collection is provided for under Article 179 of the national Constitution, which outlines revenue sources for state governments.

Mustafa said the government had directed Kush Airlines to collect the duty, but the company had refused to comply.

The Commissioner of the State Revenue Authority, Makuec Deng Madut, said passengers are required to pay the charge when purchasing air tickets because their travel documents are considered valuable documents under the law.

The state government’s clarification comes amid objections from Kush Airlines over the additional charge and the subsequent closure of the two airline offices in Wau.