Government appoints new team to head tax administration

The Ministry of Finance announced the appointment of three people to the Ghana Tax Administration Directorate.

Mr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Acting Commissioner of the National Revenue Division, Colonel Kwadwo Damoah (Rtd), Acting Commissioner of the Customs Division and Ms. Julie Essiam, Acting Commissioner Support Services.

They are expected conduct a number of critical transformational changes to the Authority, a release released by the public relations department on Sunday, June 2, said.

The new officers will replace Kwesi Gyimah Asante, Commissioner of the National Tax Revenue Division; Isaac Crentsil, Commissioner of the Customs Division and Fred Charles Anson, Commissioner of the Support Services Division, all of whom were rebadigned to the Department of Finance.

Read also: Three commissioners of the largest GRA rebadigned

You will find below the complete statement of the tax administrator:

2^{North Dakota} June 2019

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE: GRA MANAGEMENT AND STAFF CHANGES

Accra, Sunday, June 2, 2019… in accordance with the ongoing reforms of the Government To improve the performance of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), according to the 2019 budget (paragraph 288), changes have taken place at the level of the institution's management. In addition, approximately one thousand four hundred eighteen (1,418) employees are transferred to other areas of the organization. Further changes will be made to allow GRA to re-equip the crucial task of raising revenue to fund improvements in the lives of our people.

2. The reorganization was made necessary by three (3) main factors:

• • Firstly, the institution has grown considerably over the years and its current revenues of about 38 billion GH ¢ make it one of the largest institutions in Ghana. This created the need for much stronger and world-clbad structures.
• • Second, the number of GRA employees has increased dramatically to around 7,000 and another 5,000 have been added through NABCO to strengthen the authority's capacity for revenue mobilization, bringing the number total employees at 12,000. GRA is now one of the largest employers outside the public service.
• • Third, there is a growing need to improve domestic revenue mobilization to deliver the Beyond Aid Agenda in Ghana. With Ghana

Revenue to GDP of 12.6%, below the average of 19.9% ​​for West Africa, it is necessary to increase domestic revenue more efficiently the country's commitments. GRA's revenues have not reached budget targets and, over the last three years, a cumulative deficit of approximately 3.5 billion ¢.