At the GBA confab in Bolga: 60,000 professionals evade tax… lawyers, accountants, doctors, politicians culprits-President
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday said that about 60,000 professionals including lawyers, accountants, doctors and politicians do not honour their tax obligations.
Quoting the Ghana Revenue Authority, he decried the practice and called on professionals to honour their tax obligations.
The President was speaking during the 2021-2022 Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Bar Association(GBA), held yesterday in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region under the theme “ Ensuring an increase in revenue mobilisation through taxation for the purpose of accelerated national development: The role of the lawyer,”
President Akufo-Addo who expressed worry about the large number of professionals evading tax stressed that there was no way any country could develop on a very strong foundation without its citizens honouring their tax obligation.
He attributed the accelerated development of the developed countries including United States of America and Germany to their citizens honouring their tax obligation, stressing “it is time for us to make tax certainly in our society.
He mentioned that the country needs effective tax mobilisation systems to enable her address the challenges of the huge infrastructural gap including the numerous social interventions such as the Senior High School (SHS) Policy, the One District, One Factory, (1D1F) and One Village One Dam.
He mentioned that prior to his assumption of office as a President only 750,000 Ghanaians where captured by the Ghana Revenue Authority as tax payers leaving huge chunk of taxpayers out.
He stated that with the introduction of the Ghana Card, 15.5 million Ghanaians have been captured as taxpayers and that he noted was part of the implementation strategies by the ruling government to address the challenges facing tax mobilisation.
The President commended the GBA for organising the conference on the theme “Ensuring an increase in revenue mobilisation through taxation for the purpose of accelerated national development: The role of the lawyer” and stressed that lawyers have major role to play when it comes to tax mobilisation.
He, however, expressed worry about the spate of tax evasion of tax by some lawyers and indicated that “indeed records of lawyers in paying tax have been historically poor and urged the leadership of the GBA to help change the trend by ensuring that members of the Association become ambassadors of tax payers.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Godfred Yeboa Dame, proposed to the leadership of the GBA to make payment of taxes as part of the criteria for publishing names of members in good standing.
The National President of the GBA, MrAnthony Forson Junior mentioned the digitisation of some of the judiciary systems, the construction of washrooms and the donation of some logistics to the Legal Aid Scheme in Bolgatanga as some of the achievements chalked under his leadership.
The National president,who said plans are also far advanced to provide accommodation for members including new lawyers and magistrates, pledged the Association’s continuous support to the government to deliver affectively.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGATANGA
