Henry Nana Boakye, National Organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has chastised the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for stationing its officers at shops, restaurants, and other businesses to record sales of products for tax purposes.
Nana B as he is known popularly is of the view that the strategy would have been justified only if it was targeted at businesses that ample evidence shows have been evading or under-declaring their taxes.
In a statement issued via his social media handle, he said, “widespread approach of stationing revenue officers at businesses is counterproductive, oppressive, repressive, and suppressive.”
“We are not in normal times – businesses and individuals are bearing the brunt of the twin global crisis and their concomitant economic agony – and the least expected from GRA is to police traders whom no tax evasion findings have been made against.”
“In this day of technology, GRA should adopt welcoming and pleasant ways of revenue collection strategy that engenders revenue assurance. This strategy is weak and lame since Revenue Officers stationed at these shops and businesses can be compromised to aid owners to evade or under-declare their taxes. GRA should rather strive to reduce human contact in revenue collection and employ technological solutions to take taxes from businesses,” Nana B added.
In his view, the Public Relations unit of GRA must do better by way of educating the public on the importance of paying taxes.
“Paying taxes is not a pleasant thing and for that matter, a responsive PR approach must be adopted to educate the tax-paying population about their programmes and activities.”
Background
Traders in parts of the central business district of Adum in Kumasi have locked up their shops in protest against rising taxation on their goods.
They lament the pressure to honour payment of income tax, high cost of store rentals and charges from the metropolitan assembly is eroding their profits.
The cumulative taxes, they say, is crippling their businesses.
Find Nana B’s full post below
