The Ghana Revenue Authority Act, 2009 (Act 791), which received Presidential Assent on December 31, 2009, is expected to transform the entire revenue system of the country to conform to internationally accepted standards and best practice.

The passage of the law will facilitate the establishment of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to consolidate the management of Domestic Tax and Customs Division, modernise Domestic Tax and Customs Operations through the review of processes and procedures and integrate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Valued Added Tax Service (VATS) into a single domestic tax organisation.

Under the Act, the GRA and GRA Management, which superintend over Domestic Tax, Customs and Management Support, will replace the Revenue Agencies Governing Board (RAGB) and the RAGB Co-ordinating Committee respectively.

These came to light at a seminar on the GRA Act for the Management of the Revenue Agencies in Accra, yesterday.

The seminar marked the formal beginning of staff sensitisation on the GRA Act.

In a keynote address read on his behalf at the opening ceremony, the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, said reforms in the revenue sector are part of measures to transform and revitalise the country’s public financial management systems which will change the country’s budget and financial accounting processes under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFED) and the Controller and Accountant-General‘s Department (CAGD).

Dr. Duffuor called on revenue institutions to deepen their commitment to implementing an efficient and fair tax system through improved processes, sound corporate governance and better compliance with modern risk management techniques.

He said at the management and policy levels, Government experts the highest standards of integrity, discipline and governance from the nation’s revenue institutions.

Dr. Duffuor pledged Government’s continued efforts to create the right environment for revenue administration and compliance within a framework of dialogue, co-operation and mutuality of purpose.

Hon. Samuel Sallas-Mensah, Executive Secretary of the Revenue Agencies Governing Board, in an address, assured officers of the revenue agencies that their transfer to the GRA will be a transparent exercise in which no one will be at a disadvantage.

Under the GRA Act, all members of staff of the revenue agencies will be transformed to the GRA.

Source: ISD (G.D. Zaney)