GRA oppressing Kumasi traders …says NPP’s National Organizer

National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP),  Henry Nana Boakye, mostly known as ‘Nana B’ has spoken against the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)’s new strategy for revenue collection in some parts of the country, especially Kumasi, describing it as counter-productive and potentially defeatist.

“Nobody is against revenue mobilization but I must say boldly that I have a problem with this new approach of the GRA and there should be a better alternative that is sustainable and properly thought through. If the business collapse, we would not have any revenue to collect at all and that would then defeat what the GRA stands for”, Nana B stated in a media interview Tuesday evening.

He took to his Facebook page to further clarify his disagreement with the GRA’s approach:

“GRA has stationed its officers at shops, restaurants and other businesses to record sales of products for tax purposes. Reports say traders in Adum, Kumasi have closed their shops in protest against this obnoxious move by GRA.

“This strategy would have been justified only if it was targeted at businesses that ample evidence shows have been evading or under-declaring their taxes.

“But in my candid opinion, this ‘wide-spread approach’ of stationing revenue officers at business is counterproductive, oppressive, repressive and suppressive.

“We are not in normal times – businesses and individuals are bearing the brunt of the twin global crisis and their concomitant economic agony – and the least expected from GRA is to police traders whom no tax evasion findings have been made against.

“In this day of technology, GRA should adopt welcoming and pleasant ways of revenue collections strategy that engenders revenue assurance.

“This strategy is weak and lame since Revenue Officers stationed at these shops and businesses can be compromised to aid owners to evade or under-declare their taxes. GRA should rather strive to reduce human contact in revenue collection and employ technological solutions to take taxes from businesses.

“Lastly, the communication department or Public Relations unit of GRA appears dead. Paying taxes is not a pleasant thing and for that matter, responsive PR approach must be adopted to educate the tax-paying population of their programmes and activities”, Nana B added.

The NPP National Organizer was responding to a development in which over 800 shops and business owners in the Kumasi Central Business District have closed done indefinitely to protest what they describe as a double-trouble of exorbitant tax policies affecting their businesses and the falling value of the Ghanaian currency. .

Indefinite Strike

The closing of shops started on Monday in Kumasi and is gaining what appears to be a regional support.

Mr. Charles Kusi Appiah-Kubi, Executive Secretary of the Adum Business Community, has said the protest would be indefinite.

“Our businesses are collapsing, and we cannot continue to sit down unconcerned…I think the message is clear. Policy is not helping business growth and is collapsing businesses.”

GRA Explains

Enforcement Officials of the GRA have explained the ongoing exercise goes beyond the Ashanti Region and is not aimed destroying people’s businesses.

According to the GRA, it has taken months to sensitize its stakeholders and shop owners on the need to comply with the e-invoicing system for Value Added Tax (VAT).

At a media briefing in Accra last week, Head of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD) at GRA, Edward Apenteng Gyamerah explained that the e-VAT invoicing would also help the authority to monitor transactions in real-time, thereby ensuring transparency and eliminating under-invoicing, under carding and non-issuance of VAT invoices.

The GRA commenced implementing the e-VAT invoicing system after Section 42 of the VAT Act, 2013 (Act 870) as amended to make electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) the only system for issuing VAT invoices.