The Director of Administration and Finance at the Guma Valley Water Company, Lahai Kanu has said that the institution does not owe the government 100 million Leones in tax debt.
He was responding to a story carried in Mano Reporter.com on Wednesday 8th November 2023 which wrongly stated that the company owed that amount in debt to the government.
“Our outstanding tax liability which this present management inherited is Le 15.6 million Leones, and the Government’s outstanding payments to Guma Valley Water Company for services is 29 million Leones. That is why we have been pushing for a debt swap with the Ministry of Finance”.
Mr. Kanu explained that Guma Valley Water Company is not a subvented entity as it is solely responsible for its day-to-day operations and maintenance costs. “We use the money we collect from water rates and other charges to run the company”.
He, however, added that the government supports Guma in undertaking pro-poor services in low-income communities and that other government support comes in the form of Government Counterpart Contributions to donor projects and partial tax exemption for clearing water treatment chemicals.
Guma Communication Unit
9th November 2023
