Enhance compliance and transparency in tax system (LR0044)

8.1 Adhere to the Common Reporting Standard, 8.2 Raise tax policy and compliance awareness among corporates and the general public; 8.3 Make the government's tax collection and allocation process more transparent. The following milestones will be reached to fulfill this commitment: 1. Adopt the Common Reporting Standard (CRS); 2. Issuance of directives to relevant stakeholders for compliance with the CRS; 3. Sensitization of corporate organizations on the content and requirements of the CRS; 4. Disclosure of the amount and composition of tax revenue that the government receives from the public through a portal that is publicly accessible and in a format that is easy to understand. This commitment aims to enhance compliance and transparency in the tax system and increase public confidence in paying taxes. It will disseminate information on tax payment processes and budget allocations of taxpayer funds to raise public awareness about government revenue and expenses. Milestone Activity With a Verifiable Deliverable Deadline: Responsible agency 1. Signature of and formal commitment to the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and issuance of relevant directives for compliance Begins January 2021 and ongoing until December 2022 Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) 2. Issue directives to stakeholders to comply with the CRS Begins January 2021 and ongoing until December 2022 LRA 3. At least 3 workshops to sensitize businesses in all 15 counties on the content and requirements of the CRS Begins January 2021 and ongoing until December 2022 LRA 4. Set up an open tax portal within the LRA website disclosing the amount and composition of tax revenue Begins January 2021 and ongoing until December 2022 LRA

Action Plan Review

Commitment 8: Open Information and Public Engagement to Support Revenue Generation

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● Potential for results: Modest

Results Report

Commitment 8. OPEN INFORMATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TO SUPPORT REVENUE GENERATION

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● Potential for results: Modest

● Completion: No evidence available

● Did it open government? No early results to report

This commitment aimed to adhere to the common reporting standard, raise tax policy and compliance awareness among corporates and the general public, and make the government tax collection and allocation process more transparent.

A review of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) website indicates no evidence of progress on the milestones. The Common Reporting Standards are mentioned once in the LRA 2020–2021 report: “The ITS also intends to work with relevant stakeholders to domesticate the OECD-AEOI common reporting standards for use by financial institutions.” [84] The report does not provide clear actions on how this would be done. A request was made with the Liberia OGP Secretariat to reach out to the LRA. At the time of drafting the report, no contact had been made.