Concerns have arisen regarding alleged harassment by some tax officers when collecting taxes.

During a discussion with members of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Accra on Wednesday, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia accused the Authority of harassing businesses under the pretext of tax collection. This occurred as the manifesto committee sought input for the 2024 elections.

Dr Bawumia attributed the situation to the GRA’s practice of setting unrealistic targets for its officers, leading them to overtax existing businesses.

Addressing the issue during the Oxfam Tax Dialogue on Citi TV on Thursday, Emelia Assan, Assistant Commissioner at the GRA, stated that taxpayers should report instances of harassment to their tax offices for resolution.

However, she stressed that no GRA officer should intimidate any client for taxes, emphasizing that all officers are trained to be customer-friendly and exhibit integrity.

“Anytime anyone has an issue with a tax officer, please report to the nearest tax office. Because we know that in our environment, we may find some tax officers because of the backing they have with the law they may go out aggressive. But we are all being trained to be customer friendly, to be supportive, to be fair and exhibit a lot of integrity in our work.”

“So, I expect that if a taxpayer feels that he is being harassed he should walk to his tax office and ensure that we resolve these issues,” she stated.