Remove the new chairman of GRA's board of directors until the complaints of irregularities are resolved – GII

General News of Monday, July 15, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-07-15

Ghana's Integrity Initiative calls on President Akufo-Addo to dismiss the new chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) until allegations of irregularities against him are made elucidated.

According to GII, the general outcry against the appointment of Kwame Owusu, former director general of the Maritime Authority of Ghana, to GRA at the abuses and conflicts of his former office, is not a good omen for the country.

"The raging debates focus on Mr Owusu's integrity and its impact on the public perception of the new institution to which he has been appointed," said Monday the anti-corruption body in a communicated.

According to GII, the president has vowed to stand by and ensure that the appointees are accountable to the people of Ghana and make the information about his responsibility available to the people he is mandated to govern.

"In addition, the president should be guided by Ghana's commitment to the Open Governance Partnership (OGP) to which the Ghana government acceded in 2011. The commitment of the Government of OGP is based on 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 be consistent with their oath of office", added GII.

According to the GII, the President's refusal to revoke Mr. Owusu's appointment or release the report authorizing him will only negate all GRA's efforts to promote voluntary compliance with the country's tax laws.

Below the complete statement

GII REQUESTS THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE NEW CHAIR OF THE GRA ADMINISTRATION BOARD Until all allegiances have been alleviated

GII calls on the President to revoke the appointment of Mr. Kwame Owusu following the 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 – "… 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 president should be guided by Ghana's commitment to the Open Governance Partnership (OGP), to which the Government of Ghana acceded in 2011. The commitment of the Government of OGP articulates around the pillars of transparency, empowering citizens to participate and exploiting new technologies to promote good governance. As a result, the publication of investigation reports on the conduct of public officials is evidence of a good and open governance practice that would be consistent with 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).