NCCE undertakes tax education in AAK District

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese (AAK) District has intensified its education on tax compliance and payment within some communities in the District.

Citizens and business organizations especially those in the informal sector such as beauticians, market women, farmers, carpenters, GPRTU workers as well as religious groups were educated on the need to honestly pay their taxes.

They were also taken through the rights of the tax payer, the need to pay tax, the importance of taxes to the state, types of taxes and some behavioural aspects of tax collectors, which were unlawful and corruptible.

The nationwide campaign which is being undertaken by the NCCE and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was to help raise sufficient revenue for the government for development.

Mr Samuel Yaw Arhin, the District Director of NCCE, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, implored the public to pay their taxes to enable the Government accomplish its educational, economic and other development programmes.

He said government’s intervention programmes such as the Free Senior High School policy and the School Feeding programmes, LEAP, NHIS among others would require huge sums of money for them to be successfully implemented.

He said the Constitution made it obligatory for all citizens and business organisations to declare their incomes correctly and honour their tax obligations and bemoaned that Ghanaians did not comply with that provision of the Constitution.

“Chapter six (6) Article 41, paragraph (j) of the 1992 constitution which enjoins citizens as a civic responsibility to declare their income honestly to the appropriate lawful agency – the Ghana Revenue Authority and to satisfy their tax obligation.” he stated

Mr Arhin emphasised that payment of taxes was not only a civic duty but it was backed by law and that failure or refusal to meet one’s tax obligation attracted a fine, imprisonment or both.

He said no amount of tax was small and encouraged all to pay tax on any little business that they engaged in for the country to develop.

In all, the NCCE took the tax education campaign to fifty two communities within the AAK district.