Liberia Introduces Tax Stamps for First Time

The West African country of Liberia will this year be introducing tax stamps for the first time. In the second quarter of 2020, the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) awarded a contract to Madras Security Printers for tax stamps on tobacco products, spirits, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

The stamps include anti-copy QR codes and a track and trace solution that extends from point of origin to point of sale. According to Madras, it will be one of the few comprehensive track and trace systems operating in English-speaking West Africa.

Specifically, LRA regulations with regard to the new tax stamp regime call for the following specifications:

• Cigarettes: either dry paper stamps of 44mm x 20mm or self-adhesive stamps of 20mm x 20mm;

• Beer in metallic cans smaller than 100 centilitres: self-adhesive paper stamps of 15mm x 15mm;

• All other alcohol beverages: self-adhesive paper stamps of 70mm x 20mm, marked as ‘beer’, ‘alcohol’, or ‘hard alcohol’; Non-alcohol beverages in metallic cans smaller than 100 centilitres: self-adhesive paper stamps of 15mm x 15mm;

• All other non-alcohol beverages: self-adhesive paper stamps of 70mm x 20mm, marked as ‘fruit juice’ or ‘water’.