Parliament has approved an amount of $878,364 dollars tax waiver for the construction of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) IT Training Academy project in Tema.

The project is in respect of government’s efforts to modernize the tax revenues system in the country and improve on the usage of IT-based business processes for better services delivery.

The training Institute will also enable the GRA to improve its IT-literacy and provide skills to ensure proper use of IT applications within GRA.

In order to successfully undertake the project, Parliament approved an amount of €3.5 million euros with a grant of €1.5 million euros in 2016, the GRA has already prepared the land and completed all the needed evaluations as well as acquired all the needed permits to undertake the project.

Presenting the Finance Committee report for the approval of agreement on equipment, materials and services to be imported and procured locally for the project, Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah said the completion of fully equipped building for IT to be situated at Tema will increase IT literacy rate among staff of GRA.

“Mr. Speaker, completion of the project will increase IT literacy rate among staff thereby equipping them work to work more efficiently with two main operational applications (TRIP and GCMS) and report more effectively” Dr. Assibey-Yeboah told Parliament.

He added that the establishment of an efficiently managed IT Academy will encourage and instill a professional attitude among staff to remain competitive.

Contributing the the debate on the floor, MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak said the approval of the tax waiver is essential and "long overdue."

“Mr. Speaker, if we want more roads, schools, hospitals and greater facilities, then we have to pay taxes and in paying taxes we need to improve the efficiency of the tax collecting agency through enhance capacity building so that they will be able to do the jobs they’re enjoined to do give us more revenue to build the things that we are expected to build” Ras Mubarak made the remarks during the debate.

He added that the approval will also enhance GRA officials capacities to ensure right taxes are mobilised for the nation’s development.