The continuous drop in revenue collection by the Ghana Revenue Authority is to be tackled through a new program being spearheaded by the Authority, known as “operation collect, name and shame”.
The exercise will involve the publication of the names of individuals and organisations that have and continue to default in their tax obligations to the state.
Presently, Ghana’s tax revenue to GDP is estimated at 13 percent which is lower compared to the average collection rate of between 19 and 20 percent among its peers in West Africa.
The move has been partly blamed on shortfalls especially from the customs duties at the ports.
The situation has also made it difficult for the GRA to retain enough to meet its administrative expenses which has more often than not led to staff agitations in the recent past.
It is a result of these among others that the organized labour of the Authority has backed the campaign to collect, name and shame tax defaulters.
Speaking at the launch of the program, the Co-ordinator for the task force for the tax mobilization drive, Ken Tweneboah Koduah stressed the authority’s commitment to improving domestic revenue collection.
“We already have the list of those owing in all the offices of the Domestic Revenue Tax division and the team will be moving from office to office with deadlines making sure that these taxes are collected. For VAT, we are looking at the taxpayers who are supposed to issue VAT but are not doing so. These are mostly found in the hotel, construction and commercial business sectors,” he said.
Mr. Koduah added, “These people have collected VAT and are supposed to account to the GRA but are not doing so despite the fact that there are interests to be paid for defaulting. We hope this will go a long way to enhance indirect revenue.”
On his part, the Commissioner General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti emphasized that the outfit will not fail to sanction officers who are found complicit in the revenue shortfall.
He again advocated the support of all staff to achieve the set targets.
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