President pays taxes for 2012 (Front)
THE President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, today filed his tax returns for the 2012 fiscal year at the Kinbu Office of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), with a call on Ghanaians to honour their tax obligations.
He also used the occasion to pay taxes on his extra incomes for the period.
He said he filed his tax returns religiously every year, adding that as a President he decided to do it personally this year as a symbolic gesture for people to emulate.
Besides, he said, it was an attempt to promote the education and awareness campaign of the GRA and to encourage the officials to work more efficiently to generate more revenue for the state.
Article 68 (5) of the 1992 Constitution exempts the President from paying taxes on his salary, allowances, facilities, pensions and gratuity.
However, when the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee are passed into law, the President will be required to pay taxes on his official incomes.
According to the GRA, this was the first time that a sitting President of Ghana had publicly and personally filed his tax returns and paid taxes on his extra incomes.
President Mahama said the GRA played a critical role to the country's development in terms of revenue generation.
However, the President said the current revenue to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of between 17 and 18 per cent was low, and indicated that the revenue should be increased to about 20 per cent.
He said some legislations had been promulgated to broaden the tax net "so that more people can contribute to increase our tax generation."
"We are coming up with some reforms to help the system of collection to make them (GRA) more efficient," he said.
He urged every Ghanaian to see it as an obligation to pay their taxes to the state.
The Commissioner General of the GRA, Mr George Blankson, recalled that President Mahama was Chairman of the Publicity Committee on the Value Added Tax (VAT) and indicated that his contribution in the second introduction of the VAT was 'tremendous.'
He said it was therefore not surprising that the President with his tax orientation "files his tax returns religiously every year."
He said the President's gesture had put an obligation on those of them in the tax administration and Ghanaians as a whole to emulate his example and honour their taxes.
Mr Blankson thanked the President for supporting the modernisation efforts of the GRA.
Besides, he said, the allocation and payment of three per cent of total revenue generated in a year direct into the GRA account had promoted efficiency at the Authority.
The GRA had also received vehicles outside its budget from the Ministry of Finance, he said.
Mr Blankson said the GRA generated GHc11.7 billion revenue last year, and appealed to the government to invest more in revenue collection.
He again asked the government to support measures aimed at broadening the tax base.
"We ask that when the laws are ready, the Cabinet will support it so that the laws can be passed early,' he said.
The GRA Commissioner General appealed to the government to consider funding the construction of a new head office of the GRA.
After paying his taxes, President Mahama was presented with a tax clearance certificate by the Commissioner of the Domestic Tax Revenue Department of the GRA, Mrs Comfort Boohene-Osafo.
She said the presentation of the certificate to the President indicated that "he has been cleared from any tax obligations."
He also used the occasion to pay taxes on his extra incomes for the period.
He said he filed his tax returns religiously every year, adding that as a President he decided to do it personally this year as a symbolic gesture for people to emulate.
Besides, he said, it was an attempt to promote the education and awareness campaign of the GRA and to encourage the officials to work more efficiently to generate more revenue for the state.
Article 68 (5) of the 1992 Constitution exempts the President from paying taxes on his salary, allowances, facilities, pensions and gratuity.
However, when the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee are passed into law, the President will be required to pay taxes on his official incomes.
According to the GRA, this was the first time that a sitting President of Ghana had publicly and personally filed his tax returns and paid taxes on his extra incomes.
President Mahama said the GRA played a critical role to the country's development in terms of revenue generation.
However, the President said the current revenue to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of between 17 and 18 per cent was low, and indicated that the revenue should be increased to about 20 per cent.
He said some legislations had been promulgated to broaden the tax net "so that more people can contribute to increase our tax generation."
"We are coming up with some reforms to help the system of collection to make them (GRA) more efficient," he said.
He urged every Ghanaian to see it as an obligation to pay their taxes to the state.
The Commissioner General of the GRA, Mr George Blankson, recalled that President Mahama was Chairman of the Publicity Committee on the Value Added Tax (VAT) and indicated that his contribution in the second introduction of the VAT was 'tremendous.'
He said it was therefore not surprising that the President with his tax orientation "files his tax returns religiously every year."
He said the President's gesture had put an obligation on those of them in the tax administration and Ghanaians as a whole to emulate his example and honour their taxes.
Mr Blankson thanked the President for supporting the modernisation efforts of the GRA.
Besides, he said, the allocation and payment of three per cent of total revenue generated in a year direct into the GRA account had promoted efficiency at the Authority.
The GRA had also received vehicles outside its budget from the Ministry of Finance, he said.
Mr Blankson said the GRA generated GHc11.7 billion revenue last year, and appealed to the government to invest more in revenue collection.
He again asked the government to support measures aimed at broadening the tax base.
"We ask that when the laws are ready, the Cabinet will support it so that the laws can be passed early,' he said.
The GRA Commissioner General appealed to the government to consider funding the construction of a new head office of the GRA.
After paying his taxes, President Mahama was presented with a tax clearance certificate by the Commissioner of the Domestic Tax Revenue Department of the GRA, Mrs Comfort Boohene-Osafo.
She said the presentation of the certificate to the President indicated that "he has been cleared from any tax obligations."
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