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Our lawyers must lead by example in fulfilment of their tax obligations
Income tax refers to a type of tax that governments impose on income generated by businesses and individuals within their jurisdiction. By law, taxpayers are required to file an income tax return annually to determine their tax obligations. Simply put, income taxes are sources of revenue for government to fund public services and provide goods for the citizens.
Personal income tax is a type of income tax that is levied on an individual’s wages, salaries and other types of income while business income tax applies to corporations, partnerships, small businesses and people who are self-employed.
GRA AND INCOME TAX COLLECTION
In accordance with the Income Tax Act 2015 (Act 896), the collection of these taxes falls within the jurisdiction of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). It is the agency that is mandated by law to collect taxes on all forms of income such as wages, salaries, commissions, investments and business earnings. These personal income taxes can help fund government programmes and services such as national security, roads, schools, provision of water and electricity among others.
To facilitate the collection of these taxes, a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) has been designed by the GRA to determine people who are qualified and liable to register and pay taxes to the state.
PAYMENT OF TAXES WORLDWIDE
All over the world, paying your taxes is considered a civic duty, although doing so is also a requirement of the law. If you do not pay your taxes, the government agency that oversees taxes, will require you to pay, failure of which will attract penalties such as fines or imprisonment. Nobody irrespective of your status in society is above the law in this regard. Whether you are a lawyer, medical doctor, engineer, etc. you have to fulfil your civic obligation of paying tax.
Under the tax law, it is the employer’s responsibility to file a monthly tax returns on behalf of its employee. The employer is required to withhold the employee’s taxes to pay to the tax agency. Taxes withheld, must be filed and payment made by 15th of the month following the month in which these taxes are withheld. Additionally, the employer, shall not later than 30th April following the end of every year of assessment, furnish an Employer’s Annual Tax Deduction Schedule which shall specify tax withheld in respect of each employee. The return is required to outline salaries paid to each employee, exemptions, tax reliefs, chargeable income tax due and tax paid.
PROFESSIONAL BODIES AND THEIR TAX OBLIGATIONS
It is worthy to note that these obligations under the law apply to countries worldwide including our own country, Ghana, and our professional bodies are quite familiar with the provisions under the Act. It is, therefore, surprising to hear that about 6,000 lawyers in the country are not filing their income tax. Besides, many doctors and over 60, 000 business people have been evading tax of which the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is fully aware and has a reliable data on them.
PRESIDENT LASHES AT LAWYERS FOR FAILURE TO PAY TAXES
This revelation came to light recently when the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, addressed the Ghana Bar Association’s 2021 conference at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. He described the failure of some lawyers in the country to pay their taxes as embarrassing.
“It is embarrassing that lawyers are often on top of the list of those who flout our tax laws and use their expertise to avoid paying taxes. They appear to think that being members of the learned profession puts them above compliance with everyday duties like paying taxes,” the President said, adding that “they will soon be receiving friendly calls from the tax authority. I sincerely hope that those involved will swiftly move to regularise their tax affairs before the GRA moves to crack the whip”.
It is a shame that lawyers who parade as learned professionals should abandon their civic responsibility of payment of taxes on their earnings. This unhealthy situation would have been kept under the carpet if the president had not highlighted the issue at the GBA conference.
APPLYING THE NECESSARY SANCTIONS AGAINST DEFAULTING LAWYERS
The GRA needs to calculate the amount involved on individual basis and apply the necessary sanctions, especially payment of interests on the amount to serve as a deterrent to others. Similarly, other professionals such as the doctors who have defaulted in the payment of their income taxes must also face similar consequences. If an ordinary worker defaults in the payment of income tax, the GRA will be on the neck of that fellow. Besides, officials from the GRA have been moving from shop to shop as well as other small scale businesses closing them for failure to honour their tax obligations and applying sanctions. What type of country is this, in which the laws are rigidly applied to certain group of people and individuals while others are let off the hook? That is interesting and amazing!
GRA OUGHT TO BE BLAMED FOR THESE INCOME TAX SHORTFALLS
The Ghana Revenue Authority must take the blame for its failure to act when it first discovered this anomaly in spite of all the facilities it has including the PIN numbers of the defaulters and to allow the numbers to increase to this magnitude. What then is the essence of acquiring these TIN numbers which people have to struggle to get from the GRA?
It is a fact that if we continue to behave in this way where those who are qualified to pay taxes that are ‘badly’ needed to develop this country are shying away from that obligation, our country will never witness any progress in its development. The question that many Ghanaians will be asking is that; Do these defaulting lawyers have the morality to defend people who have defaulted in their obligations, when they themselves, are the worst offenders? This negative behaviour on the part of these lawyers and other professionals can be one of the corrupt practices we have been experiencing in this country which we must deal with as a nation. It is not only when you dip your hands into state coffers and steal funds meant for development that makes you corrupt but also, the failure to fulfil your tax obligation as required by law.
LATE FORMER PRESIDENT PROFESSOR MILLS’ OBSERVATION
The situation as it stands now will make one to suspect that some officials within the tax collection agencies have been colluding with people in influential positions to evade taxes thereby denying the state money needed to carry out development projects in this country. The late former president John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory, saw what happened years back when he paid an unannounced visit to the CEPS offices and spoke vehemently against the practice. He saw a situation in which young personnel who had gained employment to these tax collection institutions had become millionaires overnight and acquired huge mansions and expensive vehicles through some of these dubious and obnoxious practices at the expense of the state.
WE NEED THESE TAXES TO BUILD THE NATION
This country needs to develop to an appreciable level and it is some of these taxes that can be used to carry out this agenda. Therefore, we need to be stringent and meticulous in the collection of our legitimate taxes to prosecute this ambitious development. The IRS and other tax collection bodies in the country need to rise up to the challenge of raking in the needed revenue for the state. Our professional bodies must also encourage their members to pay their legitimate taxes to the state. Anything short of that is an affront to our democratic advancement.
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By Charles Neequaye
Indeed, numerous Ghanaians across the regions, all over Africa, and even people from other parts of the world were struck with sadness and grief upon hearing the sudden passing of the former First Lady of Ghana, Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, which occurred on the black day of Thursday, October 23, 2025.
Very often, it is difficult to believe the death of very high-profile persons in our communities, country, and even across the world, as recently witnessed in the passing of this indefatigable leader.
Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was the better half of the indomitable former President of Ghana, His Excellency, the late Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, who ruled Ghana for a record period of 18 years.
His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, alongside his able men like Osahene Boakye Gyan, Akatapore, and other young army officers, shook the political foundations of this country for a brief period from June 4 to the end of September 1979. Following the general election, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings handed over power to the late President, His Excellency Dr. Hilla Limann of the People’s National Convention (PNC), in a colorful national ceremony amidst pomp and pageantry.
Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and other colleagues in the Ghana Armed Forces, dissatisfied with the PNC Government’s administration—which was considered volatile at the time—staged another coup to topple the Limann Administration on December 31, 1981. After a successful dispensation, he reassumed the position of Head of State under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), remaining in power until 2000 when, following the general election, he handed over power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to former President His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
It is noteworthy that from the June 4 period of 1979, stretching up to the 2000 general election, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was very vocal in Ghana’s political administration.
Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings not only actively supported her husband to realize his political ambitions but also made a lasting impact across Ghana by tirelessly advocating for women’s emancipation in social, economic, and political spheres.
Consider her dynamic role in the formation of the 31st December Women’s Group. She established various food processing industries in multiple towns and villages to empower women economically.
There were countless other initiatives through which she encouraged and benefited not only women but also numerous families, enabling them to lead meaningful lives. For instance, the family home of Nene Kofi Opey-Fiagbor in Adjikpo-Amlakpo, Somanya, was highly privileged to welcome Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings anytime she visited.
On a Saturday in early January 1983, she visited to seek the hand of one of our beautiful sisters, Lucy Kpodjie, for Alex Dautey, who was then one of her husband’s military guards at the Castle in Osu-Accra. How can we, as a family, ever forget such a diligent, graceful, and distinguished person like her in our memories?
Your Excellency, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, your loss is deeply felt and irreplaceable for Mother Ghana. We all join the Rawlings immediate family in Accra, the people of Asanteman, the Keta people of her late husband, and the National Democratic Congress, which she helped found, alongside the President and Government of Ghana, to mourn this loss.
To a highly beloved and illustrious daughter of Ghana: may Mother Earth lie lightly upon your body as your precious soul rests in perfect peace in the bosom of the Good Lord, until the resurrection day when we shall all meet again. Fare thee well!
DAMIRIFA DUE! DUENI AMANEHUNU!
By J. K. Tetteh Kpodjie
Concerned Citizen
Somanya
0557672086
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Sometime ago, money-doubling used to be a very lucrative trade for people who had the skill. But it all depended on the availability of street-lights, which were used as accessories in the money-doubling schemes. The more street-lights that were available, the more likely it was that money would be doubled.
Money has indeed been doubled for people—civil servants, pastors, journalists, and diplomats. People suspected of being naive and carrying cash were conned into believing their money could be doubled without chanting. All they had to do was place their money under a ‘sacred’ stone, then walk in a certain direction, counting ten street-lights in the process without looking back.
“If you look back, you’ll go mad, wallahi!” they were warned, to ensure obedience. After counting the ten street-lights, participants were told to return and collect their doubled money under the ‘divine’ stone with jubilation. And for a moment, it seemed real—the cash appeared doubled. The problem, of course, was that the entire sum was nothing but newspaper cut to fit the currency size. At first, victims would be amazed, thinking they were hallucinating, only to frantically realize the trick. Meanwhile, the money-doublers would vanish miles away with the real cash.
In this era, money-doubling schemes often occur around payday, when people have just received their salaries. Those with ¢80,000 in hand could be tempted with the promise of returning home with ¢160,000. But in reality, many end up empty-handed, learning the harsh lesson of the financial culture of today.
Not long ago, Edward Alomele, who claims he is “Original Alor,” collected his pay and walked leisurely home, planning to celebrate. A wayside lottery operator noticed his bulging back pocket and thought he could easily trick him into handing over the money. But Alor was no amateur when it came to finance.
The lottery man pointed to a display of consumer items—televisions, sound systems, cookers, water heaters—and explained the game. Alor tried a sample ticket and “won” a colour television instantly. However, since he hadn’t staked money, he was told he needed to hand over his pay to claim the prize. Alor, sensing the scam, studied the man’s reaction carefully.
He deliberately wore mismatched footwear—one red canvas shoe and one green—to signal that he was not an easy target. The lottery operator realized his mistake, apologized, and acknowledged that Alor was not a naive newcomer.
Despite widespread reporting on these scams, hundreds of people fall victim every week, losing a significant portion of their salaries. Many prefer to remain silent, ashamed of having been deceived. Some notable individuals, like Devine Ankamah, have managed to dodge these traps through vigilance and experience, but the majority remain vulnerable.
Even pastors and other respected members of society have been duped by money-doublers, proving that awareness alone is often not enough. As Merari Alomele notes, “When shall we ever learn?”
This article was first published on Saturday, August 5, 1995.
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