Bawumia Rebukes GRA For Harassing Businesses

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has chided the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) over the way and manner the institution, has been taxing businesses every month.

According to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, this has become the norm, because the Authority has been setting unrealistic targets for its tax compliance officials, forcing them to also engage in what he calls harassment of businesses.

“They are harassing businesses. That harassment is coming from the sort of target that are created at their office. They are setting unrealistic targets. And this is because the tax base is so narrow you say to them, this is your target for this month, and they are trying to figure out where to go”, the vice president observed.

He went on: “So you say today that this is your tax target for this month, then I am trying to figure out where do I go? Then for them, it is very easy, you go back to where you got it the last time. You go to the taxpayers, the people who are already paying tax and then you have to come out with a new reason why they have to pay more so you come out with all manner of stuff”.

The Vice President, who was speaking during an engagement with members of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, seeking their input as the manifesto committee develops ideas for the 2024 elections, promised to do things differently when elected as President in December.

The former deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) pledged to introduce a flat tax rate in 2025 and provide tax amnesty to all businesses upon assuming office.

‘Because of the harassment and the need to make money, we are going to start with a clean slate in 2025. And that is why in 2025, we are going to grant a tax amnesty to all businesses and individuals and start afresh.

So, we are going to start the new system, it’s a flat tax system, so we are going to wipe the slate clean for every individual and business”, he said.

Dr Bawumia, said it is unacceptable for businesses to pay taxes, when they have not even made such money, saying it is something he has been thinking about and thinks it is time to take a look at and make the necessary change in the system.

“There are lots of hardworking people there, they are my friends, but I am saying that the targets that are set by these hardworking officers sometimes are very unrealistic and that leads to harassment of businesses, because you have to get something out of them.

This is why I say prepaying when you haven’t earned one cedi and you have to prepare and so I’ve been looking at this very seriously and we are going to change the system,” Dr Bawumia stated.

Source: Anchorghana.com