GRA commissions IT training centre at Tema

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has commissioned an ultra-modern two-story building Information Technology Training Centre at Tema, financed by KFW German Bank for Development.

The IT Centre project was started in 2021 as part of GRA’s vision to modernise tax payment issues such as compliance and digitalisation. 

The commissioning was also used to open a three-day service enhancement training for 60 front-line workers of the GRA, mostly drawn from the Customs Division and the Domestic Tax Unit.

The training was done in partnership with development partners such as the UK Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

Dr Alex Apaabeng, the Deputy Finance Minister who commissioned the building, said the GRA under the ministry wants to adopt a customer-led approach in engaging their clients, noting that the world has moved, and they must also move towards that.

Dr Apaabeng said in their quest to enhance service delivery, they have sought and secured support from key partners such as the World Bank and the PFW for service delivery, geared towards enhancing the taxpayer experience.

He noted that the training forms a special opportunity for them to upgrade on their already specialised skills to enhance taxpayer experience, stating that as a taxpayer and a tax expert, he understands the complexities surrounding the whole journey of tax compliance, stressing that one way to elevate and enhance taxpayer compliance and voluntary compliance is training.

“When we are equipped to understand these things, that’s when we are able to translate it into a good tax-payer experience to enhance our service. Taxpaying is a very difficult task, but once the taxpayer is educated, feels respected, and is able to assess what their taxes are used for, then voluntary compliance is enhanced, and I believe this very training will help us achieve that.” 

He explained that enhanced voluntary compliance reduces the cost both for the tax enforcement company and to the taxpayer on the cost of compliance, stating that the training would equip the staff with the needed skills to deliver.

He urged the front-line staff of the GRA professional in their relationships and engagement with the customers, as it has a profound impact on their decision to comply or not to comply.

“So, I entreat you all to take this training seriously and give it all the necessary attention it deserves while we update ourselves in the service delivery to shape our country.”

The Deputy Finance Minister said Ghana’s tax to GDP (gross domestic product) of 14 percent, even though commendable looking at the circumstances in which the authority operates, still has a long way to go as a middle-income economy, as other African countries were doing around 20-21 percent.

Ms Julie Essiam, the Commissioner-General of GRA, said the training was to elevate the professionalism of the staff to meet the authority’s fourth strategic plan of excellence in service delivery to the taxpayers.

Ms Essiam noted that the notion of customer centricity has taken over the mantra of tax authorities, including the USA; therefore, the training will serve as the cornerstone anchoring the GRA’s journey in its vision to change the face of the GRA by adopting a collaborative approach in its engagements with the taxpayers.

“It’s not only about imparting knowledge but also embedding the cultural excellence that will sound through every layer of the GRA because the effectiveness of the tax system hinges loudly on those that we service,” she added.

Mr. Elorm Segbefia, Lead Advisor and Senior Programme Manager for the Ghana Revenue Programme by the UK Government, indicated that his outfit under the development programme was working with the GRA on two strands on tax policy and revenue administration.

Mr Segbefia said it is aimed at helping GRA to become customer-centric, where it would be able to use customer behavioural analytics to be ahead of the customers to give them a good experience.

He added that they expect to see a better result in the GRA customer survey they would conduct, showing an improvement in their service delivery, which would translate into voluntary tax payment and an increase in revenue generation.