Tema GRA sensitises public on tax compliance in week-long exercise

The Tema Branch of the Ghana Revenue Authority has organised a week-long event to engage the public on the need to be tax compliant.

The exercise is geared towards encouraging more people to understand the need to honour their mandatory obligation to the state and also deliberate on ways to improve tax compliance.

In a media interaction to climax the week-long activities, Assistant Commissioner in-charge of Tema Medium Taxpayer Office, Eugenia Manful underscored the need to pay taxes arguing that it is only by raising revenue that the country can be independent of foreign influence in the President’s vision of Ghana Beyond Aid.

Eugenia Manful stressed that it is necessary for the Ghana Revenue Authority to constantly engage the public since they are a key stakeholder in their activities.

“We want to bring the tax home to everybody. A lot of people do not pay taxes, in fact apart from the formal sector that pays tax, we want to rope in the informal sector to also pay their taxes and together we can send Ghana beyond aid,” she said.

She asserted that to improve tax compliance, GRA is exploring the use of technology to make it more convenient for tax payers.

“A new App has been introduced to get taxpayers to be able to file their returns online and also to make requests to the GRA like tax clearance certificates. Instead of walking to the tax offices you can sit in the comfort of your homes, in the comfort of your offices and file your returns online.

This is easy, it’s less expensive, and you can file anywhere. And so it’s convenient for our taxpayers” she added.

The tax Clinic, dubbed “Tax and Good Governance Week” organised by the Tema Medium Tax Payers Office was on the theme “File Your Tax Returns, Pay Your Taxes, Move Ghana Beyond Aid”

Over 100 people participated in the activities organised by the Tema Medium Tax Payers Office of Ghana Revenue Authority.

Some clients who participated commended the outfit for bringing such education and interaction to their doorstep and requested that the engagements should be more frequent.