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Focusing on existing tax payers a ‘lazy approach’ – Bawumia criticises GRA
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to utilize the linkage between the Ghana Card and Tax Identification Number (TIN) to effectively identify and collect taxes from individuals and businesses.
He described the GRA’s current approach of solely focusing on existing taxpayers as a lazy approach, emphasizing that a more effective strategy would be to target those who are not yet tax-compliant.
Speaking at the 57th Congregation at KNUST on Friday, the Vice President said “By linking the Ghana Card number and the TIN number, GRA can tell who has filed and who has not filed their tax and so it is rich data that is available to GRA and I am asking GRA to use that data,” Bawumia asserted.
“It is a very lazy approach to go and keep looking for taxes from people who are paying taxes already when you could look at those who are not paying taxes who are the vast majority. They should be the ones that GRA should be focusing on and we would get more taxes from the vast majority.”
He further advised the GRA to introduce a bonus system based on new taxpayers GRA officers bring to the net.
The Vice President also announced that from December 2023, the government will launch a new system where every child born in Ghana from birth would be issued with a Ghana Card number.
Dr. Bawumia further stated that from next year, as a result of the Ghana card, a credit scoring system would be introduced where those who are diligent in paying their loans will have low interest rates and more access to loans.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
The Ghana First Alliance, a movement, is today staging a protest in Accra against the renewal of the mining licence of Gold Fields, a mining company owned by a South African citizen operating in Ghana.
The demonstration, dubbed “Operation No Contract Renewal: South Africa Must Go,” is being held to demand that government does not renew the company’s licence.
The group says their protest is linked to recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa by a protest group known as “march to march.”
They claim that many Ghanaian-owned shops were looted, while others were attacked, with some cases leading to deaths.
They also say the situation forced the Ghana government to evacuate thousands of Ghanaians from South Africa back to Ghana.
Speaking to some of the protesters, they said they will move to several key locations in Accra, including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Jubilee House, where they intend to present their petition.
The protesters are calling on government to terminate the Gold Fields contract and hand over the mining concessions to capable Ghanaians to manage.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
