Mayor of Freetown calls on residents of the capital to pay their taxes

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 17 July 2018:

The Mayor of Freetown – Mrs Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr yesterday went to State House to present the City Council’s newly designed local tax receipt to president Julius Maada Bio for endorsement.

Presenting the newly designed receipt, the mayor called on all residents of Freetown to ensure that they pay their local tax, without which the capital cannot be developed.

Freetown faces serious problems of poor sanitation, poor waste disposal and management, insufficient low-cost housing, poorly maintained roads, and lack of economic opportunities.

But Mayor Aki-Sawyerr is determined to change all that. Calling on president Bio to endorse the new local tax receipt, she said the payment certification would enhance revenue mobilisation for the Freetown City Council, adding that the local tax will be sold at Le 5,000. She said that every Freetown resident should be able to afford the amount for the good of Freetown.

The tax she said will target property owners, businesses and the ordinary man and women, and therefore urges payment compliance that would ultimately lead to the development of the city.

“Every Freetown resident should pay their taxes to make Freetown one of the most beautiful places. If no one goes to ask you to pay your local tax, it is incumbent upon all and sundry to go the City Council office and pay their taxes. Revenue from those taxes will be used for their intended purposes,” she assured.

President Bio has set an example. According to State House report, he was the first to pay the 2018 Local Tax yesterday. He welcomed the Mayor and her team to his office, saying that it was the responsibility of every resident of Freetown to support the Freetown City Council in their effort to make the city very attractive.

The President also urges everyone to pay their taxes, adding that the various councils in the country  depend largely on local revenue mobilisation for the development of their respective communities.