GRA develops Platform for Convenient tax payment

Mr Mark-Donald Pwawari, Manager at the Small Taxpayer Office of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Bolgatanga has announced that the Integrated Tax Application and Preparation Systems (iTaPS) is a convenient system for tax payers to pay their taxes.

Mr Pwawari noted that the application would allow tax payers to conveniently file their personal income tax returns from the comfort of their homes and offices, and said the iTaPS has nine models and were being rolled out in phases.

Mr Pwawari made the announcement at the launch of the Tax and good governance week in Bolgatanga and indicated that the nine models included annual tax returns, tax clearance, withholding tax credit certificate, vat withholding tax credit certificate and business record manager.

The rest are monthly and annual PAYE returns, personal tax relief decision support systems for self-assessment estimates, among others.

Mr Pwawari hinted that aside the measure to promote tax paying, the GRA has further developed an electronic payment platform through which operators in the informal sector, particularly commercial transport operators and small scale self- employed persons on the tax stamp would pay their quarterly taxes through mobile money in collaboration with the banks.

He said these initiatives were part of the digitization process of the GRA to leverage technology to improve on tax administration for good governance to effectively shape the socio-economic lives of the citizenry.

The manager said even though the GRA was not able to achieve its set targets the previous year, it was committed to making a difference in the 2019 revenue target, and warned that the GRA would apply full sanctions to taxpayers who default in filing their annual tax returns on due dates.

Mr Baffour Yaw Asare, Chief Revenue Officer and Commander at the Customs Division of the GRA in the Upper East Region, pointed out that filing of annual tax returns and payment of taxes were not a matter of choice, but were both statutory and constitutional requirements.

He explained that it was statutory because it was in accordance with section 124(1) of the income tax Act 896, 2015 which states that “A person shall file with the Commissioner-General not later than four months after the end of each year assessments and return of income tax for the year”, he added.

Mr Asare stressed that the filing of annual tax returns is also a requirement as enshrined in the 1992 constitution and added that “under the duties of a citizen in article 41, it is stated that the exercise and enjoyment of rights and freedoms is inseparable from the performance of duties and obligations, however, it shall be the duty of every citizen to among other things declare his honesty to the appropriate and lawful agencies and satisfy all tax obligations”.