Explainer: Are Officers of the Liberia National Fire Service involved in collecting money from Business Centers In Lofa?

Fatorma Dunor-TSM-Fellow, Lofa

Claim: "Officers from the Liberia National Fire Service are constantly involved in collecting money from business owners under the pretense of issuing the fire clearance."

Source: Lofa County Tailor Union

Verdict: True, officers of the Liberia National Fire Service Lofa County detachment have been seen collecting money from shop owners in the name of the Fire Service Tax and Clearance.

Full Text: On May 7, Lofa County Tailor Union leadership informed journalists about the extortion of money from shop owners in Voinjama, Lofa County, by believed officers of the Liberia National Fire Service.

The union alleged that its members have been consistently requested to pay $30 annually for a certificate of Tax and Clearance, which businesses that made payment are yet to receive Yet, the service continues to collect said amount annually.

Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) was established to safeguard life and property from the scourge of destructive fire across the length and breadth of the country as well as to promote efficient fire prevention services.

Verification: To verify this claim, we contacted Edward Y. Zowolo, Inspector, Liberia National Fire Service-Lofa County detachment, who confirmed the information.

According to him, the collection of $30 for tax and clearance is backed by law, though he did not state the provision of the law reference and could not clearly state the use of the fund generated.

Zowolo did not also address the non-issuance of clearance from businesses that make payment.

Additionally, we contacted G. Wasuwah Barvoul Sr., Director of the Liberia National Fire Service, who clarified that the payment should be made to the Liberia Revenue Authority and not to the Fire Service. He admitted that some illegal action by demanding money from shops was done by some officers of the Liberia National Fire Service in Lofa County and those officers were dealt with and that money that was illegally demanded from shop owners is now ready to be instituted to the individuals.

We also viewed the FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS of Liberia, which spell out fire safety requirements for ’BUILDINGS" as:

Have your entire premises inspected by the Bureau of Fire Service. Inspection should include the electrical system, generator site, and housekeeping.
Have your premises equipped with extinguishers, fire procedure signs, exit signs, and no-smoking signs
Acquire a certificate of clearance
Acquire clearance for fire safety
Acquire fire safety equipment.

The regulation also states that, ’ following the compliance of the listed items for buildings, obtain a Certificate of Clearance from the Bureau. The cost of the certificate is US$ 50, durable for one (1) year as of the date of issue. This amount varies from vehicle, which is US$30.

Revenue law says about tax revenue and agency fees and how they should be collected:

For further verification, we reviewed Liberia's revenue law to help the public understand tax and revenue and agency fees.

Section 7 (Tax Revenue) of the Amended Revenue Law 2020 states that, ’Unless expressly provided otherwise by law, all tax revenues shall be considered general revenues of Liberia, and shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund and available for appropriation by the Legislature for the general purposes of the government

Section 3(b) of the Amended Revenue Law 2020 clarifies that, ’ in the case of a conflict between this Code and other legislation, the provisions of this Code are applied for the purposes of taxation. Concepts and terms of civil, family, and other branches of legislation of the Republic of Liberia used in this code are applied in the same meaning as they are used in these branches of legislation, unless otherwise provided by this Code."

PART VIII on pages 246, 247 & 248 clearly outlines agencies of government that are required to pay agency fees. On page 247, Section 2103(b) states: ’Fixed Fees. The fees for the following services rendered by the National Fire Service shall be as by regulation prescribed by the Director of Fire Service in consultation with the Minister of Justice and the Minister and shall be assessed by the Director of Fire Service and paid regularly to the Commissioner General for deposit into the consolidated fund or Government transitory account where applicable.

TSM discovered that the services of the Liberia National Fire Service is not known by many citizens in Lofa, evidenced by the citizens’ reactions on a May 9 radio talk show about Liberia National Fire Service-Lofa on Wologizi FM 87.9.

Conclusion: In view of Section 7, Section 3(b), PART VIII of the Amended Revenue Law 2020 and because officers of the Liberia National Fire Service in Lofa continue to collect these fees from shop owners without issuing an official Certificate of Clearance and Clearance for Fire Safety to them, we conclude that the claim by the Tailor Union is true and the actions of these officers contravene their regulation.