GRA Refutes NIA’s Debt Claims, Cites Lack of Regulatory Approval and Service Agreement
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has refuted claims by the National Identification Authority (NIA) that it owes the latter an outstanding debt, which has purportedly led to the disconnection of GRA from NIA’s Identity Verification Platform (IVS).
In a strongly worded statement issued by the tax authority, the GRA expressed “great surprise” at the allegations, noting that any supposed indebtedness stemmed from what it described as a “legacy debt” incurred through services provided by the NIA before 2025.
According to the GRA, its internal assessment indicates that the transaction which gave rise to the alleged debt did not receive the necessary regulatory or governance approvals. “GRA’s principles of transparency, compliance and governance protocols do not permit enforcement of transactions that do not meet regulatory requirements, particularly as demanded by the reset vision of the President and the Government,” the Authority stated.
The Authority further revealed that, as part of collaborative arrangements between the two institutions, the NIA has for years operated desk offices at GRA premises nationwide—registering individuals and issuing National Identification Cards—without paying rent or utility fees.
“In resolving the matter, there are current high-level discussions between the two agencies, especially as GRA has identified some procedural breaches and cannot affirm the existence of a service agreement between the parties,” the GRA added.
While reiterating its commitment to inter-agency collaboration, particularly in integrating the Ghana Card into the national tax system, the GRA called for a restoration of cordial relations with the NIA to facilitate the amicable resolution of outstanding issues.
“The Authority remains committed to its values of fairness, integrity, responsiveness, service and teamwork,” the statement concluded.
