The Upper East GRA region does not reach the revenue goal

Company News of Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

2019-03-27

The customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in the extreme region has not reached its revenue target for 2018 of 4,818,735.27 ¢ GH.

Of the targeted amount of 18,520,000.00 GH ¢, the office was able to collect 13,701,264.73 GH ¢, which represents a deficit of 26.02%.

These were unveiled at a press evening organized by the GRA in Bolgatanga, in order to inform the media and stakeholders of the region on the trend of revenue mobilization of the year. and encourage each actor to contribute to increased revenue collection in the region.

Mr. Baffour Yaw Asare, Area Commander of the GRA Customs Division in a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Samuel Owusu, General Revenue Officer, referred to the lack of personnel for patrols, inadequate logistics and depreciation of the Ghana cedi against other currencies, including the CFA. as the reasons for the shortfall.

He stressed that to help meet the challenges and be able to meet the 18,511 GH ¢ set for 2019, the GRA Customs Division, with the support of NABCO interns, had intensified its patrols on along the borders.

The sector commander said his team had also blocked any leakage of income resulting from embezzlement of free zones and re-export products.

He urged the media in the region to support education and public awareness of the need to honor his tax obligations.

"The GRA hopes that by helping to shape the public opinion according to its civic obligations, citizens will consider the payment of taxes as a sacred national duty. This will help boost revenue mobilization through voluntary compliance, "said Asare.

He told stakeholders that as part of the measures to broaden the tax net, GRA had introduced last year some tax policy initiatives, such as the registration of the tax number. tax identification, excise tax stamps and tax amnesty.

The forum also allowed media practitioners to ask a series of questions about tax collection and the answers provided by GRA officials and some of the staff of the organization.