The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has extoled Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, the Commissioner-General, as he ends his term of office on March 31, 2024.

A statement issued by the Authority and copied to the Ghana News Agency, indicated that Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah was first appointed as Commissioner-General in October 2019.

He was granted a two-year post retirement contract from October 2021 to October 2023 and thereafter a further extension to end on March 31, 2024, the statement added.

The statement noted that, during his term of office, Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah rolled out an extensive digitalisation agenda in GRA, which resulted in initiatives such as cashless payment of taxes, online filing of returns, electronic Tax Clearance Certificate, electronic Tax Credit Certificate, and the introduction of taxation of e-commerce.

“He has also taken bold initiatives which have resulted in the achievement of key milestones in GRA, including exceeding of revenue targets for four (4) consecutive years. He also led GRA to increase revenue by 26.5% in 2021 and 31.8% in 2022.

“In 2023, GRA recorded the highest year-on-year growth in revenue of 49.3% in the last twenty (20) years and the highest tax to GDP ratio of 14.1%,” the Authority said.

It said in 2023, tax revenue growth more than doubled within two years, a feat which occurred only in 2011 and 2012 when Ghana first discovered oil in commercial quantities.

“The Authority also recorded the highest ever Tax Buoyancy (i.e. the efficiency and responsiveness of tax revenue mobilization to growth in the Economy) of 1.5 recorded in 2021 and 2023,” the statement added.

The statement noted that, as a Commissioner-General, Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah worked well with all staff irrespective of their status.

“He will be remembered for introducing timelines to every activity which resonated well with all staff. His punctuality to work, and at programmes is proverbial,” the Authority said.

The statement indicated that, Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah won a number of awards as Commissioner-General, and was named as an outstanding Public Sector Leader for the third consecutive time at the 7th Ghana CEOs Excellence Awards in Accra in 2023.

He was honoured alongside fourteen (14) other top managers of public institutions in the country.

“Management of GRA wishes to use this opportunity to commend Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah for his exceptional leadership and immense contribution to the operations of GRA, especially in the area of digitalization and wish him well in his future endeavours,” the statement said.

The GRA was established in 2009 as a merger of the three former revenue agencies and the Revenue Agencies Governing Board (RAGB) in accordance with the Ghana Revenue Authority Act 2009, (Act 791).

GRA is charged with the mandate of assessing, collecting and accounting for tax revenue in Ghana.