A coalition of leading civil society organizations has sharply condemned the Government of Sierra Leone’s decision to impose a 15% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on bottled water and bowser water, describing the move as “unjust, regressive, and dangerous” amid the country’s ongoing water and public health crisis.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the undersigned groups said the tax threatens the health and livelihoods of millions of Sierra Leoneans who rely on bottled and bowser water as their primary source of drinking water. With public water supply still largely unreliable and often unsafe, civil society leaders argue that taxing an essential commodity will deepen an already fragile WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) situation.
According to the 2021 Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), only 11% of Sierra Leone’s population has access to water free from contamination. Even in urban centres, just 13% of residents access improved drinking water sources. A 2025 analysis cited by the groups shows that although 63% of households have basic water access, only 23% have safe drinking water available within their premises—forcing most families to depend on purchased bottled or bowser water.
Despite the absence of GST in previous years, waterborne diseases such as typhoid have remained widespread. Civil society leaders warn that implementing the 15% GST risks worsening the incidence of diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid, all of which pose significant threats to public health.
The World Bank estimates that Sierra Leone loses up to 5% of its GDP annually due to illnesses and productivity losses linked to inadequate WASH services. Adding a consumption tax on safe drinking water, they argue, will increase preventable diseases and raise out-of-pocket healthcare spending for low-income households.
The groups further stressed that taxing essential drinking water contradicts Sierra Leone’s national WASH commitments and undermines efforts to expand access to safe and affordable water.
“Water is a public good and a cornerstone of public health. Taxing it is economically regressive, socially unjust, and medically dangerous,” the statement read.
Civil society is therefore calling on the Government and Parliament to reverse the 15% GST with immediate effect and to adopt tax policies that safeguard public health and social welfare. They also urged media, development partners, and the wider citizenry to stand united against what they describe as a harmful policy choice with far-reaching health implications.
The joint statement was signed by:
- Budget Advocacy Network (BAN)
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network (WASHNet)
- Focus 1000
- Health Alert (HASiL)
- Campaign for Good Governance (CGG)
- Network Movement for Youth and Children’s Welfare (NMYCW-SL)
- WASH Media Network
- West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)
