The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has revealed its intention to focus on the digital sector as part of its strategy to enhance revenue collection.
The Authority noted that numerous businesses operating on digital platforms currently avoid taxation, rendering this sector a crucial target for expanding the tax base.
This initiative comes in response to growing demands from tax professionals for the government to seek more accessible and effective sources of revenue.
They highlight the necessity of implementing strategies to ensure that a greater number of individuals and businesses fulfill their tax responsibilities.
Additionally, experts have underscored the need for stricter enforcement of property tax collections at the local assembly level and have urged increased focus on the digital economy, which encompasses online businesses, social media enterprises, and app-based services, many of which operate with minimal tax regulation.
Anthony Sarpong, the Commissioner General of the GRA, stated that the Authority is preparing to take measures in the digital realm.
He noted, ‘Businesses are increasingly operating in the digital space rather than traditional brick-and-mortar establishments, where transactions between buyers and sellers occur.
Numerous businesses are also emerging on various online platforms. In contemporary Ghana, one can easily locate multiple service providers on Instagram. Our challenge is to ensure that all these individuals engaged in business are incorporated into the tax system.
The GRA has already initiated a program aimed at integrating the digital economy, as it represents the future of commerce, and consequently, future revenue will be generated from this sector.’
