Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Finance, Kwaku Kwarteng, has backed calls for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to severely sanction its staff indicted in the JoyNews expose ‘Fake Clearance’.

The investigative piece uncovered how some staff of the GRA aid businesses bidding for contracts, to circumvent laid down procedures, in the acquisition of tax clearance certificates.

With a paltry sum of Gh₵1,500, officials are able to forge tax records for newly created companies without any evidence of work.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Desk on the back of the investigations, Mr Kwarteng expressed concern over the situation, emphasising that culprits need to be brought to book.

According to him, “the revenue officer who can do this is very likely to be willing to provide tax clearance for entities that should have paid their tax but have not, and that’s why the GRA has to clamp down on this offender so that it will serve as a lesson to those who have the tendency to say people have paid their taxes when they have not.”

Also, the Board Chairman of the Internal Audit Agency, Joe Winful entreated the GRA to immediately fish out the culprits and sanction them to serve as a deterrent to others who intend to engage in similar conduct.

“I believe that the right punitive measure to serve as a deterrent to others will be to get rid of that employee so that the rest [of employees] will see and understand that they won’t get away with it if they practice that.”

He further called for a review of systems at the authority, pushing for proper control systems to be instituted in efforts to deal with the canker.

“There will be a need to review the systems in place, find the weaknesses within the control mechanisms, try and improve upon them, and even hold the senior officer in charge accountable,” he added.