INTRODUCTION
The current Ebola crisis has killed or infected thousands of people and caused massive disruptions to peoples’ lives and Sierra Leone’s economy. This briefing argues that the crisis offers three main lessons to the government and companies working in Sierra Leone.
The first is that insufficient spending on health has left the country vulnerable to the spread of Ebola.
The second is that the government is giving away too much revenue in tax incentives to foreign investors that should be spent on promoting the health of the country’s people.
The third is that companies in Sierra Leone receiving those generous tax incentives should now recognise that these are short-sighted and that their own self-interest lies in contributing greater tax revenues and championing better public services.
