Appeal for withdraw of tax certificate

Kumasi, Oct 31, GNA - A businessman had appealed to the government to consider withdrawing the requirement for Income Tax Clearance Certificate and Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Certificate as conditions for bidding for jobs by contractors. Mr Opoku Agyemang Prempeh, Managing Director of Lakayana Company, a General Building/Civil Engineering company, said such conditions were too difficult to be met by the young and new contractors.

Mr Prempeh suggested to the GNA in an interview that the place of Tax Clearance and SSNIT certificates should be taken by the provision of Registrar-General's Certificates and Works and Housing Certificates. Mr Prempeh said certificates from the Registrar-General's Department and Works and Housing are enough.

''Unless the current Tax clearance and SSNIT certificates are removed as part of conditions for bidding for jobs, new entrants into the industry would continue to be deprived of jobs.'' He wandered how new contractors could provide tax clearances and SSNIT certificates when they have just graduated and have not had any experience in execution of jobs.

Mr Prempeh also expressed dissatisfaction about the situation in which contractors in particular have to be given tax assessment to pay either monthly or annually when such contractors have not had any contracts for that period.