The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Friday swore-in Professor Stephen Adei as the new Chair of the Board of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and Eugene Asante Ofosuhene as a Board Member.
Mr. Ofori-Atta also accepted the retirement notification of the current Commissioner-General, Kofi Nti, effective October 1, 2019.
ThIs was in a press statement issued by the public Relations Unit, Ministry of Finance and copied to gbcghanaonline in Accra.
The statement 2019, also said Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Commissioner for Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD), will become the acting Commissioner-General also responsible for DTRD.
The statement further said: “Government is aiming to raise GH¢ 45.2bn in domestic revenues as the 2019 target even though GRA is 7.3% behind target as at end of July”, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta said, adding that “although the country’s tax revenues have grown consistently over the last few years, Ghana’s tax-to-GDP ratio at 17.6% is still well below the middle-income country average for Africa.”
Below is the full statement:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FINANCE MINISTER SWEARS IN TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS FOR GRA AND ACCEPTS RETIREMENT OF COMMISSIONER-GENERAL
Accra, Friday, 20th September, 2019… Minister for Finance, Honourable Ken Ofori-Atta, on Friday swore-in Professor Stephen Adei as the new Chair of the Board of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and Mr. Eugene Asante Ofosuhene as a Board Member. He also accepted the retirement notification of Mr Kofi Nti, the current Commissioner-General, effective October 1st 2019.
2. Mr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Commissioner for Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD), will become the acting Commissioner-General also responsible for DTRD.
3. “Government is aiming to raise GH¢ 45.2bn in domestic revenues as the 2019 target even though GRA is 7.3% behind target as at end of July”, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta said, adding that “although the country’s tax revenues have grown consistently over the last few years, Ghana’s tax-to-GDP ratio at 17.6% is still well below the middle-income country average for Africa.”
4. As such, GRA’s efficiency in tax collection has become even more crucial for achieving sustainable revenue targets that reflect Ghana’s developmental agenda. The contribution of the two new Members of the Board is essential to ensuring the achievement of GRA’s objective of revenue mobilisation in an era of Ghana Beyond Aid.
5. Ken Ofori-Atta told the new Board Members of government’s faith in their ability to contribute towards the elimination of revenue administration inefficiencies, undue external influences, unassigned ‘security personnel’ and corruption. The Minister stressed that they bring renewed hope and that he has strong trust in their high moral standing and patriotism.
6. Prof. Adei is an accomplished change agent and fearless patriot, while Mr Ofosuhene, a former Controller & Accountant-General, is a disciplined professional. Both are men of unquestioned integrity.
7. He called on the citizenry to fulfil their civic responsibilities to pay their taxes. He also mentioned the new partnership between Faith-Based Organisations and Government to encourage their congregations to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” and promote a new responsiveness for all citizens to protect the public purse.
8. “GRA is well-positioned to lead Ghana’s aspiration to use digital technologies to improve the citizen experience, broaden the tax base and to particularly capitalise on the widespread penetration of mobile phones in the economy”, said the Finance Minister.
9. The two new Board Members bring on board a critical knowledge and wisdom acquired through their rich experiences, which the Minister believes will be required to confront the challenges to raising the targeted revenue to support government’s programmes and activities.
10. Minister Ofori-Atta charged the two new board members to help GRA:
• Build a strong reputation for discipline, integrity and righteousness
• Be a meritocratic organisation that is known for high performance
• Have digitised internal processes in Custom and Domestic taxes that improve responsiveness to the public
• Fully implement digital systems that enable citizens access to tax services anytime and anywhere
11. In response, the new Chairperson for the Board, Professor Adei, said “I have an absolute zero-tolerance for corruption, and as captains of the ship, we must be seen not to do wrong”.
12. For his part, Mr. Ofosuhene stressed that “the era of using GRA for personal interest is over”.
13. The Minister thanked Mr. Kofi Nti for his meritorious service and commended him for his diligence in establishing a platform for a new and transformed GRA. END
ISSUED BY
PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT MINISTRY OF FINANCE, THE NEWS EDITOR
3 | Ministry of Finance: Professional, Ethical, Efficient, Responsive – Transforming Ghana Beyond Aid
