In a significant effort to enhance national tax awareness, the Board of Tax Appeals (BoTA) has successfully concluded a three-day regional taxpayer education workshop across Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Gedeh counties, under the theme, “Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights and Appeal Process”.
The workshops aimed to educate business owners and taxpayers about their rights under Liberia’s revenue laws and the appeal mechanisms available to them.
The initiative, part of BoTA’s on-going taxpayer education campaign, brought together petty traders, medium taxpayers, and top business owners for direct engagements with BoTA Commissioners, Executives, and local officials.
The first workshop held recently at the Pleebo Multi-Purpose City Hall in Pleebo City, Maryland County, highlights included an address by BoTA’s Commissioner for Legal Affairs, Cllr. David M. Kolleh Jr., who emphasized taxpayers’ rights and encouraged them to exercise these rights responsibly while fulfilling their tax obligations.
Cllr. Benjamin B. Stewart Jr., Executive Director of BoTA, clarified the various tax categories and outlined how businesses could collaborate with the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to ensure appropriate tax payments.
Likewise, Atty. Tonia A. Gibson, Deputy Executive Director for Legal Affairs, detailed the procedure for filing tax appeals, emphasizing that appeals to BoTA are free of charge and must be filed within 30 days after exhausting the LRA’s internal processes.
During the interactive sessions, participants raised concerns about the behavior of local LRA agents, accusing them of exploiting taxpayers’ ignorance of their rights. However, many participants expressed gratitude for BoTA’s timely intervention and called for more frequent educational initiatives across Maryland County and the southeastern region.
In continuation, BoTA hosted its second workshop at the Fish Town Multi-Purpose City Hall in River Gee County. Taxpayers, county officials, and business’ representatives gathered to engage with BoTA officials on critical issues.
Cllr. Kolleh reiterated that, while BoTA provides a fast and inexpensive due process mechanism for taxpayers, not all cases are ruled in favor of taxpayers, urging participants to exhaust all LRA processes before seeking BoTA’s intervention, and emphasized the importance of fulfilling tax obligations to support national development.
River Gee County’s district #3 Representative, Johnson Williams Sr., praised BoTA for the initiative and pledged to advocate for increased budgetary support to expand BoTA’s outreach nationwide. He recommended mobile tax education efforts in hard-to-reach communities, and stressed the need to broaden public understanding of taxation’s role in national development.
River Gee Superintendent, Mike T. Swengbe, also pledged his administration’s support for BoTA’s activities and recommended the initiative be held annually.
Workshop participants expressed appreciation for BoTA’s efforts, and promised closer collaboration with its agents in the county.
During the final workshop in Zwedru Multi-Purpose City Hall, in Grand Gedeh County, business owners voiced concerns over LRA field agents’ practices, particularly regarding arbitrary business closures and unclear tax calculations. Participants also cited challenges with delays in obtaining business registration certificates from the Liberia Business Registry (LBR), often falling prey to impostors posing as officials.
In response, BoTA Executive Director, Cllr. Benjamin B. Stewart Jr., assured participants that while some issues raised fall outside BoTA’s direct mandate, the Board would forward their concerns to the appropriate authorities for redress.
The just-ended workshops in Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Gedeh counties mark the third phase of BoTA’s taxpayer education campaign, which was launched in December 2024. The campaign’s inaugural session was held in Ganta City, Nimba County, followed by a second session in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County, in February 2025.
These recent southeastern engagements reaffirmed BoTA’s commitment to ensuring taxpayers across Liberia are informed of their rights and responsibilities, empowering them to contribute more effectively to national growth and development.
