Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is partnering the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to promote voluntary sustainable tax compliance in the private sector.

The collaboration is under a multi-stakeholder business integrity forum which has the goal of curbing corrupt practices among private businesses.

According to the Ghana Revenue Authority, voluntary tax compliance is low among private sector operators.

The partnership with the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is therefore critical in promoting sustainable tax compliance among private businesses.

The Executive Director of GII, Linda Ofori Kwafo says the forum aims at addressing issues regarding tax compliance and corruption within the private sector.

“We are working with the GRA on how to promote sustainable tax compliance in order to help the nation develop.

“Taxation is needed for the development of the country and one of the ways of ensuring that is to mobilize enough resources through voluntary tax compliance, but then some business owners might have challenges in doing this or might have questions to put to the GRA, so we have created the platform for such deliberations to happen

“Going forward we will outline strategies that can help in ensuring that we get more people to comply to pay taxes in order to help the nation develop” she noted

As a step to stamp out corruption in the country, GII has created a mobile application which allows people to report or submit corruption-related complaints.

“Advocacy And Legal Advice Center (ALAC) is an office set up by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International (TI)

“It is a free, confidential and professional service that offers victims and witnesses of corruption an avenue to report and pursue incidences of corruption for redress, Linda Ofori Kwafo said.

Kumasi Area Manager of GRA, Samuel Sakyi Duodu, urged the private sectors to pay taxes to enable development to thrive.

“Tax payments enable a government to redistribute wealth among citizens by offering better public goods and services.

“In view of this tax compliance should be considered as an important ingredient in tax collection.

“Therefore, the role of the private sector as far as tax is concerned cannot be overemphasized because when the private sector fails tax collection fails, he said.

Private sector business owners are pleading with the GRA for increased education on tax compliance.

Dina Akwabooaah Bosompem, is a representative from the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).

“We need to know about the tax processes and dynamics because the policies keep changing

“All we want as an association is education” she noted.  

The forum was supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands.