Ghana needs revenue management, not wider tax net - Expert

A lawyer and tax expert, Abdullah Ali Nakyea has proposed that government should focus more on a revenue management regime as part of ongoing efforts to expand the tax net.

Backing calls for government to expand the tax net, Mr. Nakyea suggested among other things a complete review of the exemption system to include effective monitoring.

This according to him will ensure that only exemptions that will benefit the larger society is encouraged.

He noted that in order for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to effectively execute this revenue management system, government must provide the requisite logistics to enhance its daily operations.

Speaking on Adom FM and Asempa FM’s Dea Mehunu programme, Mr. Nakyea, acknowledged that people are reluctant to pay taxes because of the disparity between tax collected and the actual development executed.

He observed that most people do not realise that government expenditure equally continues to grow as the years go by.

He emphasised the importance of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) and the GRA to educate the public on the need to stay committed to their tax obligations if they want to see more development.

Touching on the transport sector and the savings that could be made, Mr. Ali Nakyea noted that more tax reliefs should be given to those who import public buses for public transport, adding that this will help reduce the pressure on the roads while extending the lifespan of Ghana’s roads.

Meanwhile the head of Tax Policy at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP), Dr. Edward Larbi-Siaw, says the ministry has for some time now been managing revenue.

He said this has become necessary as a result of the increasing government expenditure.

He described the $11 billion revenue collected by the GRA last year as inadequate to meet the nation’s needs and added that the nation would require an amount of 18 to 20 billion Ghana cedis in order to meet its financial needs.

The Finance Ministry, he disclosed, is still working on improving monitoring in the tax system as people find sophisticated ways to evade tax.