GoL suspends tariff on rice

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued Executive Order No. 87; extending Executive Order No. 80 – thus suspending tariff on rice. This Executive Order went into immediate effect on August 22, 2017.

An Executive Mansion release said, whereas, the Government of Liberia is committed to ensuring that the prices of certain basic commodities on the Liberian market are affordable and do not impose unnecessary burden on the people; that the government conducted an assessment and evaluation on the causes of increases in the price of various strategic commodities, and intends to initiate measures to ameliorate the situation;

Executive Order No. 87 notes that in furtherance of the findings of the assessment, Government has recognized the need to curb the continuous increase in the price of rice, the country’s staple, in order to make it affordable for purchase.

The Executive Order furthered: “There exists a need for exigent measures to achieve the desired objectives of easing the economic burden on the citizens and residents to enable access to the staple food and such measures cannot await long Legislative processes; and whereas in the exercise of the Executive Power vested in the President by the Constitution, the President issued Executive Orders No. 11, 19, 45, 61, 70, and 80 suspending import tariffs on rice in the interest of the public, and circumstances again necessitate similar measures;

Executive Order No. 87 is concluded as saying: “Now therefore, the Government of Liberia in its desire to continue bringing relief to the public hereby extends Executive Order No. 80, suspending the import tariff on rice as classified under Tariff No. 1006.30.00 (in packaging of more than 5kg or in bulk); 1006.30.00 (in packaging of at least 5kg); and 1006.40.00 (broken rice) under the revenue Code of Liberia Act 2000 as amended.”-Press release