The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has held an awards ceremony for more than 138 workers, who retired from the Authority in 2017.
The workers had served the organisation in different capacities, for between 20 and 42 years.
They each received certificates and flat screen television sets.
Mr Emmanuel Kofi Nti, Commissioner General of GRA, congratulated the retirees for their dedicated contributions to the Authority and the country over the years, saying, they had helped to accelerate the country’s development and economic growth.
He said the revenue they mobilised had kept government’s programmes and activities running to improve the lives of the people.
Mr Nti urged those in active service to aspire to work diligently so they can be proud of their contributions when the time comes for them to retire.
Touching on the performance in 2017 in an interview with journalists, Mr Nti said though a difficult year, the GRA had been able to rake in about GHc32.4 billion as against a target of about GHc34 billion, representing 97 per cent.
He said the growth in revenue relative to 2016 was the best in the last five years.
Mr Nti said in 2018, the GRA would focus on measures to enhance revenue collection through a proactive engagement with taxpayers, increasing awareness among Ghanaians on tax issues, enhance their understanding and appreciation of the importance of taxes and the benefits to national development.
“We are going to engage the taxpayers and spread the links between tax and development, links between tax and free SHS, the link between tax and roads, the link between tax and security,” he said.
“It would be a holistic engagement so that society would see the need to pay the tax,” he said, adding that, going forward GRA would have a rapport with the taxpayers and know their needs to be able to serve them better.
Mr Nti said the response to the national tax campaign launched in November last year to awaken the consciousness of Ghanaians to honour their tax obligations for continuous development was great.