You Can’t Do Business with Gov’t without TIN – GRA Warns

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced that individuals without a Tax Identification Number (TIN), effective today [April 3, 2018] will not be allowed to acquire a Driver’s license, open a bank account, get a passport, transact business with government, or register a business.

The TIN, according to the GRA, is aimed at uniquely identifying potential taxpayers to broaden the tax base.

The Authority has, in recent times, announced that all Ghanaians working must acquire a TIN to fulfill the Revenue Administration Act (RAA), 2016, Act 915.

Some of the institutions that will require TIN are the DVLA, RGD, Passport Office, GRA, Lands Commission, Law Courts, Ministries, government departments, agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

Addressing journalists at a press conference, the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti warned that institutions mandated to check the TIN must do so before transacting businesses with the public.

“One cannot transact business with these institutions if one does not have the TIN. One cannot clear goods from the ports, register land documents with the Lands Commission, obtain a Tax Clearance certificate from the  GRA, open a bank account, register your company, and obtain payments for jobs or contracts done for government,” he stressed.

He added that without the TIN, a person cannot file a case at the courts, bid for contracts from government agencies, conduct business with any ministry, departments, agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

Mr. Nti explained that this is to help increase the number of people currently issued with TIN; a total of 1,090,338 people.

He disclosed that the GRA has already held series of meetings with the key institutions that must help inspect the TIN to ensure the smooth operations of the policy.

“These institutions have been requested to modify their forms to include a field for the provision of TIN. Consequently, GRA expects the institutions mentioned above to demand the TIN of their clients before transacting business with them,” he said.

Sounding a word of caution, Mr. Nti stressed that refusal to inspect the TIN will mean a breach of the law, which will attract the necessary consequences.

He explained that to get the TIN, “one only needs to pick a registration form from any GRA Office, complete and attach the necessary coloured photocopies of a Driver’s license, National Identification Card, Voter’s Identification Card, or a passport and submit at  no cost to the GRA.”

He stated that it is important for Ghanaians to pay their taxes since that is the only way government can redistribute wealth to cover the poor and vulnerable in the society.

“I think we must be tax compliance because that is the only way we can be part of the state and demand development from government. Everybody working must make it a point to pay their taxes.”

Source: Citibusinessnews