LRA Customs Launches New Electronic Portal to Boost Trade Facilitation

The Liberia Revenue Authority has launched an electronic tariff platform that will provide greater tax compliance and increased revenue generation in customs.

The E-Tariff portal, according to an LRA press release, now allows for the availability of tariff, duties, and other relevant information available to the broader trade and customs community in an electronic format. 

Launching the platform, LRA Commissioner General, Thomas Doe Nah, termed the launch of the e-tariff portal as a major boost to the government’s efforts in digitizing and modernizing the tax administration system and promoting the overall national vision of the Pro-poor Agenda for prosperity and development. The new portal, which can be accessed through the LRA website, will boost trade facilitation to Liberia. Users can easily predict duties and estimate the tariff.

Meanwhile, LRA customs commissioner, Saa Saamoi, said the new electronic portal will give customers predictability and provide accountability in the execution of customs affairs.

He also thanked the World Customs Organization and the European Union for working along with the project technical team and for also providing training for customs officers on how to use the new portal. Representing the Ministry of Finance and Development planning, the deputy finance minister for planning and economic management, Augustus Flomo, stated that the ministry will continue to work and collaborate with LRA to ensure such initiatives that promote revenue generation and enhance the pro-poor Agenda be maintained.

Also, speaking on behalf of partners, EU Ambassador, Laurent Delahousse, termed the launch as a major milestone in ensuring that trade facilitation is boosted across Liberia. He stated that “As a major development partner of the government, we are proud to continue our support to the ministry of finance and we think this process brings more transparency, more streamlining and more efficiency to modern functions of customs.”

This customs modernization effort is sponsored by the European Union through the world customs organizations under the Harmonized Systems project for Africa.