Take Advantage Of Ghana Card For Tax Collection- Bawumia To GRA

Dr Mahamudu Baumia has stated that there will be no need for increases in taxes nor the introduction of new tax measures if the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) leverage the “rich” data available from the integration of various databases.

Addressing an audience at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on November 24, he said with data from the Ghana Card, individuals who have filed their taxes and those who haven’t can be easily identified with a click.

In like manner, he said property owners who have or have not paid property taxes can be identified and approached.

With this available information, the Vice President is confident tax mobilization shouldn’t be done with a lacklustre attitude and has urged the GRA to abandon the lame man’s approach to tax collection.

“By making the Ghana Card the Tax Identification Number, GRA can tell who has filed and who has not filed their taxes. Rich data is available to GRA and I’m telling GRA to use that data. It is a very lazy approach to go looking for taxes from people who have already paid their taxes when you could look at those who are not paying taxes which is the vast majority. They should be the ones GRA should be focusing on.”

“If they pay a little, the vast majority, we will get a lot more revenue without the need for any increase in taxes. I’m admonishing GRA. The data is available. Now that we have put this together you can tell who has filed,” he furthered.

To encourage tax officers to utilize the available data, he suggested that existing incentives must be directed to officers who mobilize more taxpayers.