GRA IT Training Academy project receives $878,364 tax waiver from Parliament

Parliament has granted an $878,364 dollars tax waiver for the construction an IT Training Academy project in Tema.

The facility which is meant for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is targeted at modernizing the tax revenues system in the country.

In 2016, parliament approved an amount of €3.5 million euros with a grant of €1.5 million euros.

The GRA has already prepared the land and completed all the needed evaluations as well as acquired all the needed permits to undertake the project.

Chairman of the Parliamentary finance committee Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah has said the completion of fully equipped building for IT to be situated at Tema will increase IT literacy rate among staff of GRA.

“Mr. Speaker, completion of the project will increase IT literacy rate among staff thereby equipping them work to work more efficiently with two main operational applications (TRIP and GCMS) and report more effectively” Dr. Assibey-Yeboah told Parliament.

He also added that the facility will encourage and instill a professional attitude among staff to remain competitive.

Contributing to the debate on the floor, MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak said the approval of the tax waiver is essential and “long overdue.”

“Mr. Speaker, if we want more roads, schools, hospitals and greater facilities, then we have to pay taxes and in paying taxes we need to improve the efficiency of the tax collecting agency through enhance capacity building so that they will be able to do the jobs they’re enjoined to do give us more revenue to build the things that we are expected to build” Ras Mubarak made the remarks during the debate.

He added that the approval will also enhance GRAs capacities to ensure right taxes are mobilised for the nation’s development.