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The Pujehun District Council has announced plans to intensify enforcement of its revenue laws against Socfin Agricultural Company, including the payment of evacuation fees and other statutory obligations owed to the council.
The announcement was made during the 35th Ordinary Rotational Council Monthly Meeting of the Fifth Council of Pujehun District, where Chairman Foday Kandeh Rogers expressed concern over what he described as the company’s failure to respond positively to the council’s repeated engagements and notifications regarding the payment of evacuation fees.
Chairman Rogers said the council had formally written to Socfin Agricultural Company requesting payment of the applicable evacuation fees, but the company had yet to comply with the demand.
He based the council’s position on the powers and responsibilities assigned to local councils under the Local Government Act, 2004.
Section 57 of the Local Government Act provides for local councils to charge fees for the use of markets, bus, taxi, car and lorry parks, as well as for the extraction of fish, timber and other building materials and services provided by councils.
Chairman Rogers said Socfin Agricultural Company operates extensively within Pujehun District and therefore has an obligation to meet legitimate council charges arising from its activities within Malen Chiefdom.
He said the council had already engaged the company’s senior management on the matter, but the issue remained unresolved.
The Chairman stressed that the council’s intention was not to undermine Socfin’s operations but to ensure that businesses operating within Pujehun District meet their lawful financial obligations and contribute to the development of the communities in which they operate.
