GII calls for transparent tax system

Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a Local Chapter of Transparency International has called on the Government to provide the country with an appropriate tax system and policies that are realistic and workable, as well as a transparent and accountable use of the tax revenues.

It also called on the Government to ensure that it accounts for tax revenues in a transparent way and that there is efficiency and value for money in the use of tax revenues, which according to the GII, is “a basic democratic pre-requisite for voluntary compliance with tax laws”.

This was contained in an official statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr. Vitus Azeem, Executive Director of GII, to commend the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for launching its Code of Ethics and Conduct.

It said the Government had a duty to provide Ghanaians with appropriate tax policies that would generate the required revenues for the country’s development agenda while not unduly penalizing its citizens.

The statement said those policies should aim at engendering voluntary compliance in meeting tax obligations on the part of tax payers.

“The Government, politicians and other people in positions of trust and influence must abstain from interfering in tax administration and allow the GRA to perform its statutory and professional roles properly.

“Government, politicians and people in positions of trust and influence must resist from interfering with the enforcement of the GRA Code of Ethics and Conduct.

The Executive and Parliament must give the GRA management the necessary resources to carry out their statutory and professional mandate and for the enforcement of the GRA Code,” the statement said.

“All institutions, both public and private, and the general public must provide the GRA the necessary cooperation to enable it to perform all its statutory functions effectively", it added.

The statement also called on other institutions, both public and private, to provide codes of ethics and conduct for their employees as they helped to ensure good governance and curb corruption.**