Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has on Thursday launched the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate for the Ghana Revenue Authority in Accra.
The Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate app is an integrated digital platform which enables tax payers to do three key things at a go, that is access and generate their tax clearance certificate online, file their tax returns and also check their tax compliance status.
There are also three options for accessing the platform; either through a QR Code, the platform’s online portal or through a USSD short code *880#, with either a smart or a ‘yam’ phone.
Launching the platform, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who has spearheaded Government’s digital transformation, said the introduction of the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate by the GRA, further signifies Government’s commitment to its digitalisation agenda.
Dr. Bawumia lauded the GRA for taking advantage of Government’s digitisation drive and the transformation of delivery of services through technology, to introduce “life-changing solutions,” such as the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) at the ports, among many others.
“The introduction of the Electronic VAT platform – E VAT – has also signalled the beginning of an era of transparency and accountability in VAT. Over the years the contribution of VAT to Government revenue has gradually declined and Government had to find ways to remedy this situation,” Dr. Bawumia said.
The Vice President said the introduction of the cashless mode of payment of taxes has enabled taxpayers to pay taxes conveniently through either mobile money, bank transfer or other cashless means.
The introduction of the Ghana.gov platform has also enabled us pay for provision of government services digitally and conveniently, he maintained.
Vice President Bawumia expressed delight at “digital remedies”, which he said, have been introduced by the Government, “to revolutionise the manual ways of providing services in the Public Service.”
Some of these initiatives, he noted, are the introduction of the Ghana Card as a unique identifier of individuals in Ghana.
“Apart from helping build on our national identification system by leveraging on technology, the Ghana Card helps to identify individuals for tax purposes.”
“Your Ghana Card is also your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). In effect, your Ghana Card is your reference for registration, filing of returns, making payments of tax due and accessing other services provided by GRA.”
“Other areas of digitalisation that have transformed lives and businesses are the Digital Addressing System which helps to identify and locate places, the National Electronic Pharmacy Platform (NEPP) which enables you to order lifesaving drugs; the Mobile Money Interoperability which lets you have a bank account in your pocket; medical drones which are helping to deliver medical supplies to inaccessible areas faster, thereby saving lives.”
“These are but a few of the many initiatives of how technology has improved services for all of us,” Dr. Bawumia said.
Before officially declaring the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate launched, Dr. Bawumia hinted on the significance of submitting and declaring tax returns to the development of a nation.
“Let me use this platform to urge all Ghanaians and indeed all who earn incomes in Ghana to faithfully submit their tax returns and to declare any taxes due.”
“Taxes are the life blood of any country and are used to build nations. When we faithfully declare and pay our taxes we will be in a position to hold government accountable to what our tax money is being used for. Let us really join hands to develop the country.”
Present at the ceremony were: the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, who said the introduction of the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate will improve efficiency and also improve revenue mobilisation, as well as the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Dr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
