Shatta Wale, the renowned Dancehall musician, expressed frustration at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for its relentless pursuit of musicians like himself for tax payments, especially in a system where support for artists is lacking.
He revealed that GRA claims he owes approximately GH¢9 billion in taxes, dating back to his early days as Bandana, long before his rise to wealth as Shatta Wale.
In a candid discussion with GTV’s Kafui Dey, Shatta Wale questioned the logic behind taxing artists who receive minimal support for their endeavors. He highlighted the irony of being chased for tax payments while struggling to establish himself in the music industry.
“I have been paying for my Google map service for over three years, I pay $8,000, $7,000 and nobody is paying attention to it but ever since they heard that Shaxi is in business, GRA and co, have been chasing me with tax. Where were they when I was struggling? I have been paying taxes for music that I had not even made money from. GRA is taxing me for my music, they say I owe about GH¢9 billion, backdated to the Bandana era where I didn’t even make money from my music,” he expressed his frustration.
Shatta Wale emphasized the need for a better music royalty system in the country, suggesting that it would alleviate the financial burden on artists and make tax payments more manageable. He lamented the lack of support from both the government and the industry, urging for proactive measures to address the challenges faced by musicians.
“With all these things happening, when I talk about the royalty system nobody supports me, and it’s sad. Sometimes I feel like we are too scared to fight the problem and that is why I am vocal. I keep saying that if the government had done certain things for musicians, we would have been paying tax,” he concluded.
Source: Ghanaweb
