Effective tax system crucial to push country’s development – Technical Advisor

The Technical Advisor, Policy and Governance, Mr Philip Gmabi, at the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) has advocated for an effective tax justice system in the country to push the development agenda for local government authorities.

He explained that tax justice systems when effectively implemented would fairly assess tax levels and identify broad taxable incomes to cater for development projects, adding that, the system has often been neglected especially at the district level.

Mr Gmabi said this on Tuesday in Tamale at a partnership meeting on tax justice, organised by GDCA.
The event was to discuss the empowerment for life (E4L) programme implemented by GDCA on tax justice and how to respond to tax injustice in the country.

The programme has further created a comprehensive document on tax collection mechanisms, challenges, examined both local and national tax systems, distribution of tax incomes, incentives for local development and explored emerging national or local themes which included the existing and proposed tax-related advocacy issues among stakeholders.

According to him, it was important for government to strengthen its tax collection machinery and seek collective efforts of both national and local level organizations involved in tax justice advocacy to enhance transparency and accountability in the tax justice system.

Mr Gmabi said that a fair and effective tax collection system was essential to increase the revenue base of tax collecting institutions to enable duty bearers, especially the Assemblies to deliver satisfactory services which citizens needed most.

The Acting Northern Regional Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Felicia Kraja, urged government to increase salary of Ghanaian workers to better their economic conditions.