“It is an undeniable fact that tax administration in our part of the world exposes practitioners to some compromising situations because of the many human interventions associated with tax administration,” the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Mr George Blankson, said.

To considerably reduce such situations, he said, the GRA was modernising its operations through the deployment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and also adopting new procedures and processes.

Discipline

In a speech read on his behalf in Accra during the graduation of 204 new officers of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the GRA, Mr Blankson urged the new tax officers to be disciplined and uphold integrity as they went about their work of mobilising revenue.

The trainees had undergone a year’s professional course in basic tax administration.

He advised the new officers to acquaint themselves with the code of ethics of the GRA in order to be good tax administrators.

He explained that the code of ethics was adopted by the authority to guide its employees in the performance of their duties, since tax administration thrived on confidence reposed in the system by the taxpayer.

“I wish to remind you that management requires strict adherence to transparency, integrity and honesty. Management will not hesitate to apply the full weight of sanctions against erring employees,” Mr Blankson said.

Course duration

The acting Head of the Training and Development Department of the GRA, Ms Essie Sekyi, advised the new tax officers to eschew laziness and cultivate a positive attitude towards work for success.

She said the professional course in taxation had gone through a series of changes in duration over the years.

She said the reduction in the duration of the course from two years to one year has resulted in a reduction in the number of subjects and expressed the hope that the new tax officers would develop some of the skills after they had been posted to their various offices.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the Course Prefect, Mr Bless Akrobetu, commended the management for providing learning materials such as Lenovo tablets and printed lecture notes and pledged their readiness to contribute to the growth of the authority.

Later, the overall best student, Mr Justice Mensah, and four others — Mr Ernest Essieku, Mr Henry Cofie, Ms Mary Amankwah and Mr Bless Akrobetu — who distinguished themselves during the training were rewarded.