GRA boss' salary, allowances cause stir on social media

The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, made news headlines over the week after he admitted at a public hearing of the Parliament of Ghana’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that he has been working for over three years without a contract following his compulsory retirement.

The GRA boss' continuous stay in office has made many Ghanaians more alarmed because the news comes weeks after the corruption allegations in the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML) $100 million contract he signed which has led to some, including the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey Geroge, claiming that Dr Ammishaddai has been allowed to be in office to do the bidding of some top government official.

But whether the allegations are true or not the fact is that ordinary taxpayers might be the ones bearing the brunt of Dr. Ammishaddai's continuous stay in office without any verifiable contract.

Do you know that the GRA commissioner-general is Ghana's second highest-paid public servant?

Rev Ammishaddai is seconded to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana in terms of remuneration to public servants and is believed to receive a monthly salary of GH¢137,794.80.

In addition to the "huge salary, the GRA boss is believed to receive the following benefits:

Housing allowance of GH¢6000

Home enhancement allowance of GH¢2000

Travel per diem of $1500

Clothing allowance GH¢10,000

Free medical care for spouses & kids

Yearly mandatory medical examination

GH¢2,000 for yearly replacement of lenses

Inconvenience allowance GH¢500 per day

Responsibility allowance GH¢1,500 per month

Monthly entertainment allowance GH¢1,500

DSTV Premium Service GH¢700

Official vehicle with monthly fuel coupons

Private car plus car loan

Vehicle maintenance allowance GH¢1,000 per month

3 personal security guards

Salary increases by 20% per annum

Even if the GRA boss does not receive all these benefits, his salary alone has cost ordinary Ghanaian taxpayers more than GH¢3.3 million if he has been working without a contract for only 2 years unless he is working for free. Ghanaians deserve the government's explanation on the matter.

BAI/OGB

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