IRS Expects ?28b From Transport Sector

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has unveiled a plan to accumulate about ?28 billion in revenue collection from the transport sector this year.

"If the above strategy fails, we have no option but to cancel the agency status of transport union and appoint our own people to collect taxes in that sector," the IRS Commissioner, Mrs. Owusu Agypong said at a press conference in Accra yesterday.

It was called to announce a new tax rate for taxis and trotros, coming out of a series of meetings between the IRS and the transport owners association.

The Commissioner appealed to the national and regional executive of the association to monitor the tax collection since any region that reports a shortfall in estimated tax revenue would be debited with the full amount.

Mrs. Owusu Agypong said pragmatic measures have been put in place to check the use of fake receipt books by some unscrupulous members of the transport unions, non-submission of names with the payment and embezzlement. The service has established two monitoring teams to check the taxes paid by various categories of transport owners.

The service intends to undertake a joint tax education with the executive of the transport sector to educate their members on their tax obligations, and submission of tax returns.

She congratulated the government for establishing a Fast Track Court to deal with tax cases, adding that the service will prosecute tax defaulters and publicise the proceedings to deter others.