Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) George Blanskon has lamented the inability of the Authority to meet its 2013 target despite strident measures put in place to ensure that many Ghanaians pay their taxes.

The Authority collected GH¢13.2 billion for 2013, 15.7 per cent below the target it set for itself. The amount was, however, a 12 per cent improvement over the previous year’s.

“The GRA in recent times has undertaken a number of distress actions and other enforcement actions to retrieve taxes owed by recalcitrant taxpayers,” Mr Blanskon stated over the weekend during an awards night for deserving staff and taxpayers.

“I, therefore, urge you to remain steadfast and resolute to the cause of Ghana,” he told the gathering.

The Minister of Finance, in a speech read on his behalf, tasked the Authority to introduce innovative measures in order to widen the tax net.

“It is said that innovation is the bedrock of economic prosperity. Without new ways of thinking and new ways of doing things, we will be stagnant as a country,” he stated.

He indicated that the awards should be targeted at “the young workforce and encourage them to come up with new ways of mobilizing revenue effectively”.

The 2013 awards night, held at the State Banquet Hall, was on the theme: “Recognizing Excellence in Revenue Mobilization for Nation Building”.

Among award winners were Florence Mensah, Augustina Hammond, Raymond Yao Amedeke.