Prof Stephen Adei condemns awarding of tax mobilisation contract to Indian firm TCS
Prof Stephen Adei, the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has sharply criticized the agency’s decision to award its tax collection contract to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) of India, despite Ghanaian firm Axon emerging as the leading contender in the competitive bid process.
Prof Adei characterized the decision as “immoral, unpatriotic, and evil,” suggesting it is driven by corruption and vested interests within the corridors of power.
Prof Adei’s remarks came in response to the GRA’s announcement that TCS, in partnership with Indian-owned Ghana-based firm IPMC, would assume responsibility for the nation’s tax mobilisation.
He contends that the decision undermines domestic capacity and disregards the results of a fair competitive process that favored Axon.
“You cannot and should not hand over our domestic tax mobilisation to an Indian company when all the evidence from the competitive bidding process shows that a Ghanaian company came on top,” he stated.
He alleged that GRA Commissioner General Julie Essiam expedited the process to favor TCS, a move he attributed to corruption and moral depravity.
The former GRA Board Chair vowed to protest against the decision if the government proceeds with awarding the contract to TCS.
He warned of increased corruption risks when foreign entities are tasked with domestic tax mobilisation, emphasizing the need to support local companies to safeguard national interests.
“I strongly believe that Julie Essiam was specifically appointed as Commissioner General to execute this TCS/IPMC deal and, so, I am not surprised at the way she is going about it,” he alleged.
