The department collected GH¢94.26 million in 2018, and the 2019 figure represents a GH¢42-million or 31 per cent increase over the 2018 figure.

The revenue was generated from penalties paid by businesses, fees for the renewal of business registration, new registration of businesses, sale of business forms, industrial property right and registration of marriages.

In an interview, the Head of the Public Relations Unit of the department, Ms Constance Adomaa Takyi, attributed the "impressive" performance to an aggressive educational campaign and sensitisation during the year under review.

She added that the sensitisation took the department to virtually the entire country, using its regional and district officers to educate the public on the need for them to register their businesses with the department.

Ms Takyi said during the sensitisation, officers of the department met stakeholders and market women to explain to them the benefits of registering their businesses, as well as the need to file their returns.

She mentioned some of the stakeholders as the district assemblies, institutions and all key government agencies at the district level.

"We included all these bodies to enlighten them on who qualified to be given a government contract because if a contract is given to someone who has not registered with the department or who does not file tax returns, the person cannot be paid,” she explained.

Breakdown

Giving statistics on the number of businesses registered, Ms Takyi said in 2016, 60,000 businesses were registered, while in 2017 the figure went up to 86,916.

“From a figure of 86,669 in 2018, we were able to register 92,267 companies and businesses in 2019,” she added.

Giving a breakdown of the revenue, she explained that April and November witnessed the highest collections because April was the last month before the application of penalties, while November was immediately after the sensitisation.

In April 2019, the department was able to collect GH¢31.78 million, while in November it collected GH¢31.03 million.

“Goro” boys

Touching on people who acted as illegal intermediaries and offered to assist people through the registration process, popularly known as “goro” boys, Ms Takyi advised all business operators never to deal with such people.

Clients of the department must simply enter the banking halls and deal with people with identity cards sitting behind desks, she said.

 “Currently we have a message in about four different languages, educating new business operators and potential ones to be wary of people who may approach them with premises to help them,” she explained.