President John Dramani Mahama has assured the business sector of his administration’s dedication to enhancing revenue collection in a manner that is more conducive to business operations and transparent.
During a discussion with business leaders at the Kwahu Business Forum on Tuesday, April 29, he reiterated that his government does not plan to impose new taxes that could jeopardize business viability or promote tax evasion.
‘When the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was established, there was widespread approval — you recognized the GRA as a valuable ally.
I assure you, they are indeed your ally, and they will increasingly support business interests because I believe the answer to our challenges is not to increase the tax burden,’ President Mahama stated.
He continued, ‘The key is to ensure that taxes are clear and equitable to foster higher compliance. Continuously increasing taxes will only lead individuals to seek ways to evade them.
This was the very concern we raised regarding the previous administration’s implementation of the E-Levy.’
Reflecting on the consequences of the E-Levy, he remarked, ‘We cautioned that individuals would discover methods to avoid it — and they did.
Rather than addressing financial difficulties as promised, people simply withdrew cash and returned to cash transactions to evade the new levy.’
