GRA Assures Businesses New Digital Tax Platform Will Not Introduce Additional Taxes
Ghana’s Commissioner-General of the Revenue Authority, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, has moved to calm business anxiety over the rollout of the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), assuring stakeholders that the platform will not result in any new taxes.
“The introduction of ITAS is not going to lead to the payment of any additional new taxes. This is an efficiency process that we are undertaking,” Mr Sarpong told a stakeholder engagement in Accra attended by members of the Association of Ghana Industries, tax practitioners, customs agents, and representatives from various sectors of the economy.
The assurance comes at a time when businesses are already navigating a complex tax environment and any suggestion of additional levies tends to generate significant concern. Mr Sarpong urged taxpayers not to be apprehensive, emphasising that the system was designed to simplify tax processes and improve compliance rather than expand the tax net through new impositions.
ITAS, which was launched earlier this year, serves as a one-stop digital platform integrating various tax processes. It enables businesses to register, file returns, and make payments seamlessly online, eliminating much of the manual paperwork that has historically bogged down interactions between taxpayers and the revenue authority.
The platform also consolidates interactions between taxpayers and the GRA, allowing businesses to access their tax records, manage obligations, and handle audits and disputes in a more transparent manner. It integrates data from customs systems to eliminate duplication and reduce the compliance burden on businesses operating across multiple tax categories.
Mr Sarpong said the system formed a key component of the GRA’s broader transformation agenda, which is anchored on technology and innovation, operational excellence, and stakeholder trust. The authority’s goal, he explained, is to improve domestic revenue mobilisation to support national development without imposing additional costs on the private sector.
Seth Twum-Akwaboah, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Ghana Industries, welcomed the introduction of ITAS, describing it as a positive step towards modernising tax administration. “The business community has long anticipated a system that would make tax processes simpler, faster, and more transparent,” he said.
Mr Twum-Akwaboah emphasised the importance of trust between the private sector and tax authorities, noting that a transparent and efficient system would strengthen confidence and encourage voluntary compliance. “We support initiatives that bring more efficiency in tax collection without necessarily increasing the tax burden on businesses,” he added.
The AGI chief urged the GRA to intensify education and stakeholder engagement to ensure that businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, fully understood and embraced the new system. He assured the authority of the AGI’s readiness to collaborate in sensitising its members and addressing challenges that might arise during the implementation phase.
The successful rollout of ITAS will be closely watched as a barometer of Ghana’s capacity to digitise core government functions. If the platform delivers on its promise of efficiency and transparency, it could set a precedent for similar modernisation efforts across other public institutions.
Image Source: GHANA BUSINESS NEWS
