The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced a number of technology driven platforms to verify the real values of imported products from their source countries.
This is to ensure that Traders harbouring plans to evade taxes do not have it entirely smooth sailing this year.
The revenue authority is also to deploy measures to check smuggling especially with temporarily imported vehicles.
These measures are expected to support the state tax office meet its 40 billion cedi 2018 target.
These discussions have dominated the 2018 GRA management retreat which begun over the weekend in the Ashanti regional capital Kumasi under the theme “Transforming Revenue Mobilization Strategies the way forward”.
The Ghana Revenue Authority realized some 32.3 billion cedis in tax revenues for the year 2017,
Even though this fell 1.1 billion shy of its target, the amount represents a nominal increase of 23% of revenue accrued in the year 2016.
The GRA in the year 2017 championed a number of Semi custom reforms and trade facilitation measures including Removal of landed barriers; the Paperless system and the National Single window platform.
But the state tax office has a daunting target to raise 39.8 billion cedis this year.
Relaying his targets for the year 2018, the commissioner general of the Revenue Authority Emmanuel Kofi Nti outlined a number of innovative technology driven measures the GRA will be rolling out.
The measures are to check under declaration of invoices, smuggling and the evasion of duties by uncustom vehicles.
Mr Kofi Nti outlined, “In 2018 the customs division will undertake reforms on the customes warehousing transit and re-export regimes among other initiatives while intensifying patrol duties to reduce and check smuggling and other negative activities.”
“In addition to the reforms include the introduction of the DF Trade and the temporary vehicle importation monitory systems. The DF Trade database is a valuation tool acquired with support from DANIDA which enables customs to have access to the correct values of imported goods from the countries of exportation.”
“The development and the installation of the temporary vehicle importation system will track temporarily imported vehicles which have overstayed as well as identify smuggled vehicles often being illegally used in the country”
The deputy finance minister Kwaku Kwarteng who joined the opening of the tax retreat, charged managers and commissioners of the GRA to be resolute ahead of a possible show of resistance from traders, manufacturers and importers in the wake of the new reforms to be introduced to rake in taxes for the state.
Mr Kwaku Kwarteng recounted some protests coming from some manufacturers about the implementation of the excise tax stamps but insisted “we assure you that we will go ahead with that policy.”
He added, “The electronic point of sale device is coming. It is another big rollout and I can already foresee all manner of issues being raised because understandably nobody enjoys paying taxes.”
He also assured the tax officers that the “minister of finance will be there with you at the battle front. We will stand by you and insure that you have the right policies and tools to collect taxes as a responsibility we will place on you.”
The Mawerehen Baffour Hyiaman Brentuo VI who spoke on behalf of the Asantehene Otumffuo Osei Tutu the second asked that government finds more revenue generating sources aside taxes for the nation’s development.
He recommended, “There is a common saying that the tax that we collect is for the development of our nation and that is very true. Looking at the target of 39 billion and cocoa, oil and other natural resources which are non tax revenue is just doing about 11 billion is a bit on the low and it is for us to look for more ways of also supporting what the tax collectors and revenue authority does.”
The Ashanti regional minister Simon Osei-Mensah lauded the tax campaigns being run by the GRA and extended the support of his office to encourage residents of the Ashanti region to willingly fulfil their civic responsibility of contributing their taxes to the state.
The retreat is to enable the managers to discuss and come out with ideas and inputs into the preparation of the third G.R.A. strategic plan to span 2018 to 2020.
By: Ghana/Ultimatefmonline.com/106.9FM/Ivan Heathcote-Fumador
The post GRA tightens measures to detect under invoiced imports and smuggled vehicles appeared first on Ultimate FM.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced a number of technology driven platforms to verify the real values of imported products from their source countries. This is to ensure that Traders harbouring plans to evade taxes do not have it entirely smooth sailing this year. The revenue authority is also to deploy measures to check […]
The post GRA tightens measures to detect under invoiced imports and smuggled vehicles appeared first on Ultimate FM.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS