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The former director general of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) was controversial when it appeared he would have used more than 66,000 GHc for his kitchen furniture.
However, a presidential letter dated June 18, 2019 named it to the GRA pending its acceptance in 14 days, which surfaced over the weekend.
In response to this, GII said in a statement "the appointment of the former director general of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Mr Owusu, as chairman of the board of directors of Ghana's tax authority has caused disappointment to the general public especially because of the events that preceded it. The heated debate centers on Mr. Owusu's integrity and its impact on the public's perception of the new institution to which he has been appointed.
GII is of the opinion that it is not appropriate to appoint a person whose integrity has been questioned before the board of directors of such a sensitive entity than GRA. However, if the President wants to stick to his decision, then GII asks him to publish the report of the investigations that would contradict the allegation of conflict of interest and embezzlement made to him. against his representative,"said the anti-corruption agency.
Read their statement below
GII demands the dismissal of the new chairman of the board of directors of the GRA until its allegations of irregularity are settled
GII calls on the President to revoke the appointment of Mr. Kwame Owusu following public outcry over ongoing investigations into allegations of abuse of power and conflict of interest involving Mr. Owusu.
The appointment of the former Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Mr. Owusu, as Chairman of the Board of the Ghana Tax Authority has caused disappointment to the general public especially because of the events that preceded it. The heated debate centers on Mr. Owusu's integrity and its impact on the public's perception of the new institution to which he has been appointed.
It is important to remind the president of this section of his oath of office: "… and dedicate myself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of Ghana and to do justice to all kinds of people".
This service, which the President has sworn to all Ghanaians, consists in holding himself and appointing the persons appointed to be accountable to the people of Ghana and making the information on his responsibility available to those whose he holds the mandate. In addition, the Chair should build on Ghana's commitment to the Open Governance Partnership (OGP), which the Ghanaian Government signed in 2011.
The OGP's commitment is built around the pillars of transparency, empowering citizens to participate and exploiting new technologies to promote good governance. Therefore, the publication of investigation reports on the conduct of public officials is evidence of a good and open governance practice that would conform to their oath.
The efforts of governments over the years to broaden the tax net have faced many challenges. Anecdotal evidence suggests that, in addition to the myriad of problems faced by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), confidence in the government that uses tax revenues cautiously for the benefit of the taxpayer decreases with every corruption revealed in the public sector.
In accordance with the foregoing, GII is of the opinion that it is not appropriate to appoint a person whose integrity has been questioned before the Board of Directors. 39, an entity as sensitive as GRA. However, if the President wants to stick to his decision, then GII asks him to publish the report of investigations contradicting the allegation of conflict of interest and embezzlement made to him. From his representative.
If the President does not revoke the appointment of Mr. Kwame Owusu or publish the report, it will only negate all GRA's efforts to promote voluntary compliance with the country's tax laws and thus allow the country to mark time with the tax-to-GDP ratio of 12.6% (Ministry of Finance tax data for 2018 from January to December)
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