Revenue officers should check tax status – GRA

Revenue Officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) are obliged to verify from construction sites about the tax compliant status of workmen on the job.

Under the law, itinerant workmen, including carpenters, electrical technicians and masons among others should acquire ‘tax stamps’ just as other craftsmen, small-scale hairdressers and table top traders to operate.

Mr Joseph K Kumah, Head of the Domestic Revenue Authority Division of the GRA in Ho said this during interaction with participants at a Tax Education Seminar held in Ho on Tuesday.

A participant had complained about Tax Officers concentrating on the few artisans in workshops while leaving the droves of them doing brisk business from spot to spot.

Mr Kumah said it was easier tackling artisans working for limited liability companies than the floating workmen.

Another Participant suggested that issues of taxation and links to national development should be taught in schools to inculcate in Ghanaians the willingness to comply with tax laws.

Mr John Kofi Tsrakasu, a Hotelier said tax men in Ghana were too militant and oriented more to desk work than reaching out to the prospective tax payer.

He said revenue demands from multiple state agencies in different shades, be it fees, levies, registration among others had made the Ghanaian “very overtaxed”.

Mr Tsrakasu suggested that the GRA was more outgoing, using flyers with simple messages to get the attention of tax payers, wondering whether there was any evaluation process by those who made the tax laws to test their efficacy and fairness.

Mr Rodger Kumah, Assistant Commissioner and Head of Medium tax Office observed that taxation was propelled by law and the taxpayer had no other choice than to comply.

He said the taxpayer could visit the GRA offices as many times as he or she wanted to get to understand issues better.

Mr Kumah said if taxpayers sent just anybody to represent them at such seminars, they were be-littling the importance of the issue.

Topics discussed were Value Added Tax (VAT) Act 870, filing of tax returns, rent tax, rights and obligations of taxpayers, record keeping and obligations of educational institutions.

Mr Eric Sebastian Awuni, Principal Revenue Officer said it was important that people going into business made efforts to know about taxation related to their jobs. He also stressed on taxpayers providing verifiable books or records.

Nicholas Ofosu-Yeboah, Senior Revenue Officer, Audit said private educational institutions were not exempt from taxation.