The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has stepped up nationwide tax compliance and enforcement operations in response to growing levels of non-compliance among taxpayers, Assistant Commissioner in Charge of Accra Area Enforcement Joseph Annan Adjeikwei has said.  

Addressing journalists in Accra, Mr Annan said the Authority had observed a worrying trend where many taxpayers filed returns to avoid penalties but failed to make actual payments. 

He said others had stopped filing altogether despite continuing operations, while some declared far less than they were required to pay.  

“For some time now, we relaxed our enforcement mandate to encourage voluntary compliance through education. But we realised many taxpayers are taking advantage of the system. They file but do not pay, they under-declare, or they stop filing altogether,” he said.  

He explained that in early 2024, the Authority returned to the field to assess the situation and found that the volume of infractions required more manpower. 

He said as a result, from November, the GRA deployed additional officers to intensify checks and ensure full adherence to tax laws.  

Mr Annan said the strengthened enforcement exercise included arrests and, where necessary, prosecutions depending on the gravity of the offence.  

He said the operations run day and night, throughout the week, and cover all tax types, including Personal Income Tax (PIT), Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), excise, and Communications Service Tax (CST).  

He emphasised that the GRA would not relent in enforcing the law, noting that no tax system could function effectively without consequences for offenders. 

“If one person violates the law and walks free, others will follow. Our message is simple: we are out there, and taxpayers must do the right thing,” he said.  

Mr Annan appealed to the media to support the Authority in educating the public about the ongoing operations, stressing that the initiative has become a regular feature of the GRA’s national mandate.  

 “You never know when we will visit your business, and this programme is not ending anytime soon,” he added.  

Responding to questions on last year’s enforcement activities involving the arrest of several non-compliant foreign businesses, he said the GRA did not pursue prosecutions at the time because the exercise was the Authority’s first major arrest operation. 

He said management granted amnesty but insisted all outstanding taxes be paid.  

He noted, however, that this year’s operations will be stricter, especially after months of public sensitisation. Taxpayers who continue to flout the law despite repeated notices will be treated as delinquent, and “the law will descend heavily on them.”  

On revenue losses, Mr Annan said it was difficult to quantify the exact amount due to the scale of non-compliance but indicated that the losses were substantial. 

He said some taxpayers owe millions of cedis based on their own declarations, not audit findings.  

“It will not be scientific to put out a figure now, but what we can say for sure is that the nation is losing so much. And this is from only a small sample of businesses we have visited,” he said.  

He said the Authority expected to mobilise over GH¢30 billion this month, partly to recover shortfalls recorded in previous months.  

The Assistant Commissioner assured the public that enforcement would continue to be part of the GRA’s daily operations nationwide as the Authority strategised to boost revenue mobilisation and improve compliance.