IRS collects C12 bn from vehicle taxes in three months

Kumasi, Sept 7, GNA - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has collected 12 billion cedis as taxes from the Vehicle Sticker System for commercial transport owners between July and September 2003. The amount, which represented the first three months collection, was in excess of the nine billion cedis collected by the various transport unions in the country in 2002.

Mr Samuel Osei Obeng, Principal Collector of Taxes at the Ashanti regional office of the IRS, made this known in Kumasi on Tuesday at a press briefing to launch a week-long joint tax education campaign by the Federation of Association and Unions of National Revenue Agencies (FAUNRA).

The campaign which is under the theme: "Widening The Tax Net: The Responsibility Of All", is aimed at sensitising the public on the need to pay their taxes regularly and promptly to help generate enough revenue for national development and debt servicing.

Mr Obeng said expanding the tax net had received positive response as a result of sustained public education campaign embarked upon by the IRS.

He asked Ghanaians to resolve to honour their tax obligations to enable the government to provide the needed services for the country. Mr Joseph Oduro-Firikyi, Chief Collector, General Duties of the Kumasi Collection of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), said CEPS had been pursuing strategies in support of the national policy measures aimed at revamping the private sector.

These included the streamlining of its procedures at points of entry, granting licenses to private companies to operate container freight stations outside of the port facility, training and maintaining its workforce to exhibit high standards and professionalism as well as establishing and maintaining co-operative relationship with the private sector.

Mr Oduro-Firikyi said CEPS was committed to create the framework for the private sector to create wealth for the prosperity of all Ghanaians.

Mr Samuel Kofi Otabil, Ashanti Regional Head of the VAT Service, urged law enforcement agencies to assist the revenue collection agencies by ensuring that tax defaulters were given the maximum punishment to serve as a deterrent to others.

He appealed to traders, importers, distributors and all other taxpayers to honour their tax obligations to ensure that the government earned enough revenue for national development.