Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has expressed its determination to do all it can under the laws and employ innovative strategies to ensure that all taxable entities pay their appropriate taxes to support the country’s development.

Mr Paul Kwesi Ahiakpor, Assistant Commissioner, Customs Division of GRA in the Northern Region, who expressed the determination at a media soiree in Tamale, therefore called on taxable entities to voluntarily comply with tax laws to avoid sanctions.

The media soiree was organised by GRA in Tamale as part of efforts to deepen relations with the media in the region to help in ensuring tax collection.

The 2018 performance of GRA in the region showed increased tax collection as the Customs Division collected GH¢167 million as against a target of GH¢68.40 million, the Tamale Small Tax Office (STO) collected GH¢27.6 million as against a target of 26.6 million while the Tamale Medium Tax Office (MTO) collected GH¢41.2 million as against GH¢39.1 million it collected in 2017.

For this year, the Customs Division of GRA in the region, Tamale MTO, and Tamale STO have been tasked to collect GH¢78.03 million, GH¢60.6 million, and GH¢37 million in that order.

Mr Ebenezer Mensah, Acting Assistant Commissioner of GRA at the Tamale MTO said the GRA in the region was intensifying tax education to ensure a well-informed taxpayer population amongst other strategies to help meet the target for the year.

Mr Cephas Nelson Agoro, Manager of Tamale STO said steps had been taken to streamline Tax Identification Number registration to help broaden the tax net as well as the payment of taxes.

Alhaji Abdul Razak Saani, Northern Regional Director of National Commission for Civic Education charged the media to lead the crusade to educate the citizenry on the need to pay taxes as no country could develop without taxes.

Alhaji Saani also urged the media to hold duty-bearers accountable in terms of how they spent tax revenues to encourage the citizenry to be committed to paying taxes.

Source: GNA