Tax analyst, Geoffrey Ocansey is calling for a robust system in the country’s tax system to combat tax irregularities and evasions.
His call comes on the back of the latest Afro barometer survey, which showed that 70% of Ghanaians are unconvinced about how government uses revenue from taxes.
The report which surveyed over 2,400 adults, aslo revealed that 84% of Ghanaians perceive some tax officials as corrupt.
Responding to the survey in an interview with Ohene Addo on Plan B FM ‘Nkosuo Nsem’, Mr. Ocansey said the country’s tax structure system is porous and has resulted in tax evasion and irregularities.
“We’ve lost about 8.1billion cedis between 2018 and 2019 through tax irregularities and evasions. Our tax and managerial systems are so weak. Companies who enjoy a 9-year tax exemption for free zone fail to honour their tax obligation at the end and also change their companies name just to deliberately avoid paying tax which is unacceptable,” he said.
“We need a modern, robust and trusted tax system, which brings in revenue for our public services and also provide data about institutions on their sites to help combat the fraud,” He indicated.
Mr. Ocansey aslo said punitive actions such as demotion, suspension, reduction in salary, should be taken against persons who contribute to tax irregularities and evasion.
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