By By: Staff Writer
MONROVIA, — Customs officers will now ride shotgun with every truck of rubber rolling in from Guinea, after the Liberia Revenue Authority moved to shut down a tax loophole at the border.
A new directive from Customs Commissioner Saa Saamoi, effective May 5, says all rubber shipments coming through Guinea must be met at the border by LRA agents and escorted straight to the port. No escort, no movement.
The rule is aimed at traders accused of slipping Liberian rubber past tax collectors by labeling it “Guinea transit.” Under the order, any truck without proper export papers from Guinea Customs will be treated as Liberian rubber on the spot — and taxed under Executive Order #151.
“Liberia cannot lose money because of paper tricks at the border,” one LRA official said Wednesday, asking not to be named.
For Liberia’s own processed rubber, known as TSR, the LRA is also doubling up. Every shipment must now be inspected and sealed by both LRA Customs and the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority. LACRA clears it first, then Customs issues the final go-ahead to ship.
The twin measures stay in place as long as Executive Order #151 lasts. The LRA warns that violators face fines and other penalties under the Revenue Code.
The crackdown hits transit agents, Guinean suppliers, and local exporters who depend on Liberia’s ports. For years, officials have complained that Liberian-grown rubber was being passed off as foreign cargo to avoid export fees.
With armed escorts now mandatory from border to port, the LRA is betting that rubber can’t disappear on the road anymore.
