Press Release

NATIONAL REVENUE AUTHORITY

(Public Affairs & Tax Education Unit)

7 Bathurst Street, Modesty House, Freetown.

PRESS RELEASE

5th April, 2020.

In an effort to implement Government's regulations on the current COVID- 19 pandemic, the National Revenue Authority has reviewed some of its operations and business processes to meet up with the current prevailing circumstances in the Country. The Board and Management of the National Revenue Authority would therefore like to inform the general public that all Taxpayer registration, Collection and deposit of Returns and receipts, filing of Tax Returns, payment of Taxes, Collection of Non-Tax Revenues and the Clearing and Forwarding processes at Customs, have altogether been revised to limit the possibility of contact between the taxpayers and the NRA to ensure the highest standards of safety. Consequently, the institution has resorted to take the following Business and operational posture to ensure the continuation of its functions and mandate. Outlined are the means through which all business processes relating to NRA will be carried out effective 8th April, 2020.

i. Taxpayer Registration In line with the reviewed working days of the Office of the Administrator and Registrar General (O.A.R.G), Taxpayers will collect forms for issuance of Tax Identification Number (TIN) which is part of any registration process on Mondays and Tuesdays upon which TIN Certificates will be issued on the same days above in a sequential order. GST Certificates will be also dropped at designated points at No. 19 Wellington Street for Small and Medium Taxpayers and at No. 38 Wellington Street for all Large Taxpayers who should collect the said GST Certificates. All scanned copies of documents will be sent to the taxpayers' email who will afterwards pick up the originals at the above addresses.

ii. Collection and Deposits of Returns and Receipts All deposits of Returns, Receipts and other documents will be done at the NRA offices on Wellington Street and the provincial Domestic Tax Department (DTD) Offices in Bo, Kenema, Makeni and Koidu. In addition, announcements for pick ups would be made on radio for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

iii. Filing of Tax Returns Taxpayers are advised to kindly download tax returns form from the NRA website on www.nra.gov.sl and file or forward same via email on ltoreturns@nra.gov.sl for Large Taxpayers and smtoreturns@nra.gov.sl for Small and Medium Taxpayers respectively and copy esiaffa@nra.gov.sl.

iv. Payment of Taxes Payment of taxes in this situation can be made through bank transfers and internet banking. Bank statements should later be forwarded to the NRA on the required tax regime via email on ltoreturns@nra.gov.sl for Large Taxpayers and smtoreturns@nra.gov.sl for Small and Medium Taxpayers respectively and copy esiaffa@nra.gov.sl.

v. Collection of Non-Tax Revenues All NRA staff deployed at various MDAs to collect revenues will continue to work on specified days of work in line with the working days of the host MDA. Issuance of receipts will be done accordingly.

vi. Clearing and Forwarding processes at Customs The processes for normal customs clearing and Forwarding will remain intact as designed in the ASYCUDA World. Being that this process is essentially paperless, consignees and brokers should prompt the process through their payment at the commercial banks, register their declarations online and should monitor the clearing and forwarding process through the declaration tracking system on their mobile phones and through emails as well as SMS messages forwarded by customs.

Whilst we remain serviceable to our valued taxpayers and the general public, the NRA will therefore advise everyone to follow all government directives on prevention of CORONA VIRUS.

END

Signed Dr. Samuel S. Jibao

Commissioner General-

National Revenue Authority (NRA)