The President of the Republic,
According to
It is no wonder, the President indicated, that American, German, French, Japanese and British peoples, amongst others, can readily find the means to fund their own development, particularly their infrastructural development, whereas we are constantly struggling to do the same.
"There is, therefore, an urgent need to enhance significantly our domestic revenue mobilisation capability to realise our development potential, create opportunities for our vibrant and dynamic youth, and deliver improved livelihoods for our fellow citizens," he added.
Addressing the gathering, the President noted that the necessity for increased mobilisation of resources for national development is crucial, especially as there are critical needs in all sectors in all parts of the country.
"Not too far from where we are gathered, torrential rains have caused havoc and washed away bridges and roads. Farms have been destroyed and investments have disappeared under flood waters. These are just new additions to an already difficult situation of a long list of infrastructural deficits that require a lot of money for their elimination," he said.
The President continued, "COVID-19 has brought extra devastation to our fragile economies, and we have not seen the end of it to be able to say we can start counting our losses. The only certainty we do have is that we need a lot of resources to engender the rebuilding of the economy. Hence, the exceptional significance of Government's Ghana CARES 'Obaatampa' Programme, which is seeking to raise GH¢100 billion from both public and private sectors to finance the revitalisation of our post-COVID economy."
He was, thus, glad that the
With the theme of the Conference being "Ensuring an Increase in Revenue Mobilization through Taxation for the Purpose of
"The record of lawyers in paying taxes has been historically poor. 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. 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," he stressed.
Following the recent exposé by the
Widening
"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 number, 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, prior to the implementation of ICUMS, for the period
Additionally, Government,
"Whilst government narrows the fiscal gap, by implementing targeted revenue-generating initiatives, much is also expected from taxpayers to be responsive in equal measure for the speedy, full realisation of moving
Copyright Ghana Presidency. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source