Eliminate complexities in tax regulations – GEA
By Isaac AIDOO, Accra
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) must work towards eliminating complexities in its tax regulations, and create a conducive environment for compliance by businesses , the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) has called.
While expressing satisfaction with the level of collaboration between the GRA and the GEA, the latter at its 63rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Accra on the theme, ‘Tax Compliance and Co-operation in a Challenging Economy,’ proposed strategies that “will make compliance better for businesses.”
Clear, transparent regulations
Addressing member businesses of the Association and other stakeholders, President of the GEA, Mr Dan Acheampong appealed to the GRA to ensure that tax regulations and requirements are clear, easily accessible, and transparent.
“It is worth noting that ambiguities in tax laws can lead to unintentional non-compliance. Simplifying complex regulations and providing guidance will therefore help businesses to understand their obligations more effectively,” Mr Acheampong stated.
Simplified tax filing and reporting
The Association entreated the Authority to further streamline tax filing and reporting processes to make them less cumbersome for businesses, including the numerous Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
“This could involve implementing and improving user-friendly online platforms, pre-filling certain information, and automating calculations where possible,” the GEA President explained.
Sensitisation and outreach
Mr Acheampong called on the GRA to prioritise taxpayer education and awareness programmes, noting that workshops and information campaigns at the central and district levels will help all categories of businesses to comprehend their tax responsibilities and deadlines to facilitate effective compliance.
Continuous improvement
The GEA encouraged the tax Authority to regularly review and update its tax compliance strategies based on feedback from businesses and changes in the economic landscape.
According to Mr Acheampong, “adaptability is key to maintaining an effective compliance framework.”
GEA on GRA task force rounds
Mr Acheampong noted that the GEA had noticed a trend where officials of the revenue authority was closing down enterprises for reasons of various tax irregularities during sessions of their inspection exercises.
“The GEA holds the view that this approach does not aid business progress and sustainability, since in the business community each minute lost without operation is revenue lost to the enterprise and Government. We believe that a novel approach should be adopted to handle officials of enterprises that face issues of noncompliance, and allow the affected enterprises to operate at their optimum capacity,” President Acheampong stated.
He proposed dialogue against the closing down of shops approach, pointing out that “dialogue is a tried and tested tool with the integrity to promote win — win outcomes for the stakeholders involved. We urge the Authority to leverage the tenets of consultation, negotiations and dialogue in the design and implementation of its tax administration policies for effective revenue mobilization, business expansion and decent job creation.”
In an address read on his behalf, Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev. Dr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah said the Authority had introduced measures such as the restructuring of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division offices to make them more accessible to taxpayers.
“As part of the continuous listening and feedback monitoring that we have adopted, we realigned the location and structure of our offices to ensure that taxpayers, no matter their size and nature of business are able to reach us. This ensures convenience and saves taxpayers time and money. Additionally, our processes have been simplified for convenience,” the GRA Boss explained.
