Revenue agencis to merge

Plans are for advanced to merge the operations of the country?s three main revenue collection agencies during the next year.

They include the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and the Value Added Tax (VAT) Service.

Executive Secretary of the Revenue Agencies Governing Board (RAGB), Harry Owusu, disclosed this in Accra yesterday at the opening of a three-day tax administration workshop, and was jointly organised by the RAGB and the German Development Co- operation Agency (GTZ).

He said although the merger was the decision of the RAGB, set up by Act 558 of 1998, it would still need government?s final approval before it was implemented.

The merger if implemented will increase revenue collection, improve professionalism and increase in both employee and customer satisfaction.

The workshop was aimed at examining training programmes of the three revenue bodies and to design a uniform, comprehensive and effective basic and advanced training programme for all the agencies in readiness for the merger.