President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has noted that the record of lawyers in paying taxes has been historically poor.
He said it is unfortunate, but a most unpleasant fact, that members of the professions in our country have not been known to set a good example when it comes to paying taxes and they appear to think that being members of the learned professions put them above complying with every day civic duties, like paying taxes. It is embarrassing that lawyers are often at the top of the list of those who flout our tax laws and use their expertise to avoid paying taxes.
Speaking on the theme “Ensuring an Increase in Revenue Mobilization through Taxation for Accelerated National Development”, President Akufo-Addo, told members of the Ghana Bar Association that Following the recent exposé by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to the effect that some sixty thousand (60,000) professionals working in the country, including lawyers, accountants, doctors, engineers, surveyors, architects, do not pay taxes, the President was hopeful that persons evading taxes move swiftly to regularize their tax affairs before the GRA moves to crack the whip.
President Akufo-Addo indicated that, before coming to office in 2017, only a small proportion of the population, i.e., some seven hundred and fifty thousand (750,000) people, was registered by GRA with Tax Identification Numbers (TINs).
“As a result of the effective roll-out of the National Identification Card, spearheaded by one of our own, the ebullient Ken Attafuah, which has been integrated with GRA to form the TIN, we now have a taxable population of some 15.5 million people in just four (4) years,” he added.
Government, the President indicated, has introduced other measures that make it easy for institutions and individual taxpayers to be compliant, including the Revenue Assurance & Compliance Enforcement (RACE), Ghana.gov, paperless port, the National ID (GhanaCard), Digital Property and Address System, and cashless system.
These policy interventions are running smoothly, and he urged members of the Bar to take advantage of these innovations to regularise their tax affairs and advise their clients to do the same.
The Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) at the country’s ports have been introduced to facilitate trade, and block revenue leakages, stating that despite the initial opposition of vested interests, it is paying dividends.
“Customs revenue, before the implementation of ICUMS, for the period June 2019 to May 2020, stood at GH¢11.25 billion. Between June 2020, the start of ICUMS, and May 2021, teething challenges, ill-considered propaganda, and the impact of COVID-19 on global trade notwithstanding, customs revenue has increased by 27.6% to GH¢14.36 billion,” he said.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Kofi Atakora
