The Tema Community 9 Taxpayer Service Centre (TSC) of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has adjudged Hapag-Lloyd Ghana Ltd, a shipping company as the Overall Best Taxpayer for the 2020 to 2022 years of assessment.
A Citation of Honour and a plaque in recognition of this achievement was presented to the company at a ceremony last Friday at the premises of the organisation in Tema Two other institutions Multi-Pac Ghana Ltd, a beverage manufacturer and Cargill Ghana Limited, a licensed cocoa buying company which came second and third respectively have also been honoured by the Tema Community 9 Taxpayer Service Centre.
Presenting the citation to the organisations, the Office Manager of the Tema Community 9 TSC, Assistant Commissioner, Philip Apawu commended the three organisations for always filing and paying their tax obligations on time.
He applauded the three companies for being the most tax-compliant business within the Tema Community 9 TSC out of the over 1,500 active taxpayers.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Apawu said as part of GRA’s effort to become a world class revenue organisation, the Commissioner-General of GRA, Rev. Dr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and his top management have mandated the various TSCs to identify and recognise clients who have excelled in fulfilling their tax obligations.
He explained that the winners were selected using a model that was an unbiased and took into account the compliance of filing and paying on time, how much they each contributed to revenue of GRA as well as the growth rate of the respective companies.
Mr Apawu added that although it was not common practice to give organisations which fulfil their tax obligations citations, the performance of the three organisations were so admirable hence it was only appropriate to present them with the citation to encourage other clients to fulfil their tax obligations.
Receiving the citation on behalf of Hapag-Lloyd Ghana Ltd, the Country Manager, Robert Oram expressed gratitude to GRA for the award in recognition of their efforts in paying taxes and on time.
Mr Oram said being a company in their fifth year of operation in Ghana,such recognition showed the hard work they had been putting in within the first few years of conducting business in the right way and pledge to do more to contribute their quota to the nation’s development efforts.
The outgoing Managing Director of Cargill Ghana Limited, Aedo Van Der Weij said in his 30 years of work experience spanning nine countries worldwide, Ghana was the first country he had seen such positive recognition for tax payment adding that it would serve as an encouragement to other local companies to follow.
The Managing Director of Multi-Pac Ghana Ltd, Hassan Jaber also expressed gratitude to the GRA for recognising the efforts of his outfit to the revenue mobilisation drive adding that it would spur them on to do more.
Present at the presentation ceremony were the head of Accounts Eric Dormenu, the Chief Revenue Officer, Taxpayer Services, Mavis Ayisi,and Chief Revenue Officer Return Processing,Nelly Tetteh, all of the Tema Community 9 TSC.