The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi, has urged the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to treat taxpayers with care to boost state revenue.
According to him, the revenue arm of the government needs to see taxpayers as people who play a crucial role in government business, hence the need to give them the needed attention.
Michael Okyere Baafi stated categorically that this strategic method, when adhered to, will lead to the generation of more revenue for national development.
Speaking at the National Sales Leaders Conference in Accra on Wednesday, August 14, the deputy minister of trade and industry said, “One of the board meetings that I attended at the Ghana Revenue Authority, I was sharing a view with the board members that it is high time the GRA as an institution moved away from enforcement to being part and parcel of the system.”
“So that they can see the taxpayer as somebody who is important to government business, they have to pamper them and get their attention to get more. By doing so, we are sure we will be able to generate or get a lot of revenue for the state,” he added.
His comment comes on the heels of alleged discrimination faced by members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) by some officials of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.
The trading community has also lamented the intimidation they face from the GRA during tax collection.
Source: Ghanaweb