GRA mobilizes Ghs 39 billion in tax revenue from January to September
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says it has been able to raise some Ghs 39.9 billion in tax revenues from the month of January to the month of September.
The mobilised tax revenues, the Authority notes, is close to this year’s targeted total tax revenues of Ghs 57 billion and express optimism of achieving the set tax revenue target by end-December 31, 2021.
The GRA with the adoption of key strategies to improve and augment tax collection has been leveraging the potentials of digital platforms to enhance and boost tax collection.
Speaking in an interview on the Authority’s tax collection strategies, Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, noted that the authority has through the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), on-line filing and payments, data warehousing and the recent resolve to use the much-touted Ghana Card and Tax Identification Number for all transactions regarding tax payment, has put the authority in the right direction toward maximising the current tax net.
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“The adoption of these digital strategies has significantly put the authority in a position to meet our GH¢57billion target by December,” he said.
According to the GRA, while the formal sector is significantly high and requires a lot of effort to bring it to 100 percent compliance with tax payment – as some taxes are deducted at source, Rev. Owusu-Amoah admitted that defiance level is very high in the informal sector due to the economy’s cash-orientation.
He noted that several efforts, including tax education and the use of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code *222# on all networks through mobile money, is being used to whip up enthusiasm for collections in the informal sector. The use of these avenues to increase collection in the informal sector has become necessary, according to the GRA, because past initiatives to increase tax collection from the sector did not achieve much.
“The informal sector is described as unregulated and highly non-performing in relation to tax payment. We used to work through the associations – e.g. artisans, food vendors and some trader-groups – but it didn’t help much,” the Commissioner-General noted.
The authority however said it has devised disciplinary measures to punish tax evaders who are non-compliant with the rules of tax payment.
