Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for continued modernisation of Ghana’s tax system to improve revenue mobilisation, encourage voluntary compliance and strengthen public confidence in tax administration.
Speaking at the 14th Annual International Tax Conference in Accra on August 19, the Vice President said governments around the world were redesigning their tax systems to respond to rapid economic, technological and geopolitical changes.
She said Ghana must also ensure that its tax system generates enough revenue to finance critical areas such as infrastructure, education, healthcare, climate adaptation and national security while maintaining fiscal sustainability.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang highlighted recent reforms, including changes to the Value Added Tax regime, as part of government’s efforts to create a simpler and more balanced tax environment.
She said the government was also digitising tax administration, with measures aimed at improving the taxation of cross-border transactions conducted through digital platforms and introducing fiscal electronic devices to strengthen compliance and monitoring.
According to the Vice President, government is undertaking a broader review of Ghana’s core tax legislation to simplify compliance, improve fairness and competitiveness, and ensure that tax laws remain relevant to the changing economy.
She also stressed the need to broaden the tax base by finding practical ways to bring more individuals and businesses operating in the informal sector into the tax system.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said public trust would be essential to achieving this goal, noting that taxpayers were more likely to comply when tax rules were clear, fair and consistently enforced.
She added that taxpayers should also be able to engage with tax authorities without unnecessary difficulties.
The Vice President urged the Ghana Revenue Authority to strengthen taxpayer education, consultation and service delivery while encouraging tax professionals to help individuals and businesses understand and meet their legitimate tax obligations.
She further called for greater efforts to prepare Ghana for emerging international tax challenges, particularly those linked to digital commerce and increasingly complex cross-border transactions.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang urged the Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana to deepen its research and collaboration with government, academia and the private sector to develop appropriate responses to these emerging challenges.
She also advocated stronger tax education, saying financial and tax literacy should begin before individuals receive their first tax assessment.
The Vice President expressed confidence that recommendations from the conference would help Ghana build a tax system that is predictable, fair and capable of generating the resources needed to support national development.
By : Rachael Djabakie