KEEA launches tax education campaign

Elmina (C/R), March 21, GNA - The Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) District Director of the National Commission for Civil Education (NCCE), Neenyi F K A Tagoe has said that good governance could not be achieved without a sound financial and economic base.

Neenyi Tagoe said since good governance was about the welfare of people this could not be done when the nation's coffers were empty. Speaking at a forum at Elmina organized by the District Directorate of the NCCE to launch a pay your tax education campaign, Neenyi Tagoe explained that the Commission's quest for good governance enjoined it to assist revenue collection agencies to educate the public on the need to honour their tax obligations to the state.

"Pay your taxes voluntarily if your want to enjoy good amenities and social services", he emphasised.

Mr Joseph Ghunney, Principal Inspector of Taxes at the Central Regional Office of the Internal Revenue Service, explained that tax on ones business was calculated on the profit one made but not on the capital.

"IRS will not compel any trader or businessman to pay tax when he or she does not make any profit, Mr Ghunney stated. He advised traders, businessmen and women to keep proper records on how the business was being run to enable them to determine the actual profit they made.

"It is when these records are not available that the IRS uses the previous year's assessment to measure the tax one has to pay," Mr Ghunney explained.

He urged them to report any calamity that befell their businesses immediately to the police and the IRS to enable the Service to exclude them from paying taxes.

The tax officer advised workers to ensure that tax deducted from their salaries were correct to prevent re-computerisation when they needed tax clearance certificates.

Mr John Ohene-Owusu, District Finance Officer urged traders to take interest in fee-fixing meetings the Assembly organized to enable them to come out with their views on the taxes to be paid for the year. 21 March 07