Gbarnga, Bong County – The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, through its Local Empowerment For Accountability and Decentralization (LEAD) Activity has ended a day-long Capacity Building Training for more than twenty Civil Society Actors in Gbarnga, Bong County.
The Objectives of USAID LEAD Activity include Improved Domestic Resource Mobilization, Budget Transparency, and Local Development and Service Delivery.
It is a five-year UUSAID-funded project operating in Bong, Nimba, and Grand Bassa counties. It runs from 2023 to 2028.
Giving an overview of the day-long capacity-building training, Albert Thompson, a focal person for the USAID LEAD Activity in Bong County said the goal of the training is to equip civil society actors to get familiar with the concept of Domestic Resource Mobilization and understand various sources of Domestic Resource Mobilization, including situations involved.
He further that the training also aimed to highness Civil Society actors with the need and ways to improve Domestic Resource Mobilization and USAID LEAD activities related to Domestic Resource Mobilization in Liberia.
Objective one of the projects places key emphasis on strengthening Tax Policy formulation, enhancing Tax Administration, and Improving Citizens’ Participation in Domestic Resource Mobilization in Liberia, while objective two centered around Liberia’s Resource Generating System, Existing Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework, and the Role of Civil Society Organizations in Domestic Resource Mobilization amongst others.
Moreover, participants were lectured on Liberia’s Revenue Code, which provides the basis of taxation involving the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA), such as investment contracts and bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Additionally, participants were drilled through the Canons of Taxation, which involves Simplicity, Equity, Efficiency, Responsiveness, and Revenue productivity, and the Features of a Good Local Tax System.
During the lecture sessions, Molley O. Kiazulu, a consultant and fiscal expert at USAID LEAD Activity encouraged participants to increase their advocacy and awareness on domestic resource mobilization, monitoring and accountability, capacity building, and public participation in the tax policy system.
Mr. Kiazulu also charged participants to be robust in facilitating public forums and educating citizens on the tax policy-making process, something he believes would lead to a more equitable and effective tax system in the country.
The USAID LEAD Activity Consultant and Fiscal expert further added that if Civil Society actors are engaged in these activities, it would enable citizens to voice their opinions and contribute to policy development, and also engage state actors by working with government agencies to improve tax administration and policy in Liberia.
For their part, participants expressed excitement about being trained to understand Domestic Resource Mobilization and strategies involved in holding formulating domestic resource mobilization.
They further lauded USAID LEAD Activity and partners for building their capacity to understand Domestic Resource Mobilization, with a call to the organization to also recognize a forum that focuses on the usage of taxes collected by the central government.
By Matalay Kollie, Reporter
