South Sudan Traffic Police officers seen counting money collected from motorists in Juba in 2019 | Credit | Courtesy

The Chamber of Commerce has appealed to government to stop some security personnel and individuals who are extorting money from truck drivers on the streets of Juba.

This comes after several truck drivers complained of illegal taxes. Most of them carry water and market commodities.

They say some security personnel have created illegal checkpoints along the roads to extort money from traders.

According to the deputy head of the Chamber of Commerce, these individuals are claiming to be CID, police and security officers.

Ladu Lukak is now calling on the government to stop the practice which he terms as “illegal tax collection”.

He says only the National Revenue Authority is allowed by law to collect taxes, not the CID or any other organized forces.

“We know very well that the roles of collecting taxes and money are the prerogative of the National Revenue Authority. This means there is no entity in South Sudan that has this jurisdiction,” Lukak told the media on Tuesday.

The businessman says the illegal practice is affecting not only the merchants but also the citizens.

Traders normally raise prices in order to compensate for the money lost to security personnel.