Foreign aid workers assigned in Southern Sudan do not pay income taxes to the government. The Roving Blog asks: Why not? A good tax system is a predictable source of funding for the local government and promotes “a bit more accountability,” the blog argues.
“So why doesn’t the international community do more to support these systems directly by putting their (overpaid?) salaries through them?” the blog says.
The blog entry argues that donors should consider putting some of the aid they give to Southern Sudan and other recipient countries through the government’s coffers.
“Wouldn’t the increased volumes create demand for a better, more efficient tax system?” the entry points out.
A reader, commenting on the entry, argues the opposite. He says it is not clear how taxing foreign aid workers could create more accountability in the country’s tax system. Taxing the workers could only divert the government’s attention to the aid community instead of going after its citizens who don’t pay taxes, the reader says.
