President Akufo-Addo has sounded a word of caution to professionals across the country who are shirking their tax obligations.

According to him, the current situation where about 60,000 professionals in the nation’s workforce are not complying with tax laws is worrying.

He sees it as even more embarrassing where lawyers in many jurisdictions who are supposed to ensure sanity in the clients’ books, rather spearhead the canker, leading to shortfalls in revenue.

“They appear to think, that being members of the learned professions puts them above compliance with everyday civic duties like paying taxes. It is embarrassing that lawyers are often on top of the list of those who flout our tax laws and use their expertise to avoid paying taxes,” he said.

The President made these comments at the 2021 Ghana Bar Conference underway at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

This year’s conference is on the theme, ‘Ensuring an increase in revenue mobilisation through taxation for the purpose of accelerated national development: The role of the lawyer’.

Addressing legal practitioners on Monday, he called on all and sundry to take steps towards regularising their activities before the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) cracks the whip.

“They will soon be receiving friendly phone calls from the tax authority. I sincerely hope that those involved will swiftly move to regularize their tax affairs before the GRA moves to crack the whip,” the President insisted.

He believes it is crucial that members of the legal fraternity act on the clarion call to accelerate development in the country.