The South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) on Thursday warned public officials against the use of unauthorised Financial Form 15 for collecting revenues.
Addressing a joint press conference at the Revenue Authority headquarters in Juba, SSRA Commissioner General Simon Akuei Deng said some officials are still using outdated or forged Financial Form 15 and warned of punitive measures.
He said a new batch of the new Financial Form 15, approved by the SSRA with enhanced security features, has already been printed, distributed, and officially authorised for use across the Republic of South Sudan.
“The old financial forms are no longer valid, and any transaction carried out using this obsolete form shall be considered null and void,” Akuei warned. “Use of the old forms constitutes forgery and fraudulent practice, punishable under the laws of South Sudan for public officers. This further attracts disciplinary action, including dismissal from service.”
He said the new customised financial form is equipped with enhanced security features to prevent misuse and revenue leakages, and is the only valid form recognised for official transactions with SSRA. He counseled that no revenue officer, administrative units, government agencies, or other entities are permitted to use outdated forms and that only the new authorised forms are acceptable.
“Taxpayers, the business community, and all stakeholders are strongly advised to demand and use only the new financial forms in their dealings with revenue offices,” Akuei stated. “This will protect both the taxpayer and the government from fraud, malpractice, and revenue loss. The SSRA reiterates its commitment to protecting the integrity of revenue administration and ensuring all transactions are carried out in a lawful, transparent, and accountable manner.”
Adding: “We call upon all stakeholders and the general public to take this notice seriously and ensure full compliance with immediate effect.”
The SSRA chief revealed that they will soon publish the approved financial forms for the public to identify the valid and the invalid forms.
For his part, Major General Elia Costa Faustino, Director General for Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration, said they are working with the SSRA and administrative units across the country to ensure that the right financial forms are used.
“Regarding the issue of forgery of documents, especially Financial Form 15, we have arrested some of our personnel who are forging Form 15 and our documents, which include the visa, nationality, passport, and other documents concerning the immigration office,” he revealed. “We are working very hard to make sure that those who are trying to forge the documents will be arrested, and once arrested, we take them to the police court, then, if convicted, we have administrative issues to take against them.”
“We want to advise our people that if you want to come and process your documents, come by yourself, don’t allow anybody to process it on your behalf because that is the time the forgery happens,” Gen. Costa added.
He said officials who are given money to process documents use forged forms and do not pay the money to the SSRA but pocket it.