The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has been urged to adopt innovative strategies to help increase revenue mobilization in the covid-19 era.
The Authority should also set up effective models that would enhance the intensification of tax education and collection to help boost government revenue to sustain the country’s economy in the difficult times.
Mr. Christopher Dapaah, Zonal Coordinator for the Tax Justice Coalition-Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), made the call at a Citizen Mobilization Forum for Promoting Local Tax system in the country in Kumasi.
The Forum which centred on discussions on how to mobilize local resources in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, aimed among other issues, at promoting tax education and improving knowledge in local resource mobilization for development.
Mr Dapaah, said there was no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic had spread rapidly across the world and as a result had placed the global economy under severe stress and caused large human sufferings.
He therefore called on various government tax agencies to ensure that fair, equitable and innovative progressive tax systems were promoted to ensure easy compliance and acceptability by taxpayers.
Mr Charles Acheampong, Assistant Commissioner of Tax at the Ashanti regional Office of GRA said the Authority was committed to mobilizing revenue in a transparent manner.
He said GRA was now using technology to enhance tax collection and urged Ghanaians to see payment of taxes as their civic responsibility and comply.
Rev. Samuel Opoku Amponsah, Revenue Manager at Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), said KMA was sensitizing the public on the need for them to honour their tax obligations at all times.