GRA must learn from ECG and also go round to collect property tax – AGI

Executive Member of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Tsonam Akpeloo has asked the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to follow the example of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) that is going round to collect its debts, to also do the same and collect property tax.

Tsonam Akpeloo indicated that property tax is one of the areas where the government can generate revenue, not only through taxing businesses.

Speaking on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 Wednesday, April 5 in connection with the three revenue bills – Excise Duty, Growth and Sustainability Levy and Income Amendment Bills – that have been approved by Parliament, he said “Our view is that government must look at its own expenditure and reduce its expenditure to reflect the realities of the time.

“Times are hard and you cannot afford to have a bloated expenditure this time. We feel very strongly that government should consider reviewing its own expenditure.”

He added “There are many ways of mobilizing revenue, for example, property tax. We keep talking about the same issue on property tax, I know people who really have to go to the Municipal offices to ask for their property tax because nobody is coming to them.

“ECG has just started calling people to pay for their electricity bills, we propose that GRA should also go round to collect property tax so they can mobilise revenue.”

He also revealed that there are some businesses that are not paying taxes.

Those businesses should be identified and dealt with instead of targeting AGI members that are tax compliant, he said.

“Very similar point to this is that there are many many businesses that are not paying taxes and so continuing to tax the few AGI companies that are tax compliant is not fair. What will happen is that very soon they may not even exist for you to tax because the taxes are just too much,” he said.

source: 3news