Market women in the Central Region have called for a fairer and more transparent tax system that reflects their contributions and addresses their daily struggles.

They said even though they paid their daily tolls at the market, they still do not have access to a decent place of convenience, and the waste generated does not get cleared.

As women, they said they were the backbone of the informal economy, they bore the heaviest tax burden and yet benefited the least from the services those taxes were meant to provide.

Engagement

The market women said this during an advocacy engagement on the Weak Tax Compliance and Awareness programme organised by the Developing Women for Skills and Opportunities (DWoSO) Initiative for market women at the Mankessim Market in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.

The engagement was funded by NETRIGHT Ghana and brought together other stakeholders, including the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Municipal Assembly.

The engagement was to enhance tax awareness and to promote compliance among market women, particularly in the Central Region, through participatory advocacy engagement.

It was also to sensitise the market women on their tax obligations and rights, to create a platform for open dialogue between the revenue officials and the informal sectors and to build trust in the tax system by clarifying how tax revenues were used for community development.

Concerns

A trader who gave her name as Selina lamented that “We pay taxes every single day, but refuse is left uncollected, and we still do not have proper washrooms.”

Her frustrations were echoed by a market queen, who accused local authorities of repeatedly failing to act on women’s concerns.

The women called on the authorities to ensure that all the taxes they paid were commensurate with the services provided in order not to erode trust in the system.

They further called for the prioritisation of sanitation, security and infrastructure improvement as the direct returns on their daily tolls.

Consultation

The Mfantseman Municipal Gender Desk Officer, Sandra Nyarko, said there was a need to consult and engage women in tax policy decisions since traders were not just taxpayers, but rights holders.

“Women’s voices must shape how taxes are structured and how revenues are used. Without this, the system will continue to be unjust,” she said.

Eugene Armah Okyne from the GRA, for his part, said the authority was committed to protecting taxpayers’ rights and improving accountability.

He said every cedi collected was an investment in schools, health care, and market infrastructure.

The Patron of the Traders Association, Madam Rose Kwetu, commended DWoSO Initiative and NETRIGHT Ghana for organising the dialogue and choosing Mankessim Market as the venue.

She appealed for patience, noting that many of the concerns raised had already been submitted to the new Municipal Chief Executive for review.