Revisit corruption cases at Customs Division - Finance Minister tells A-G

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has asked the Attorney General to revisit cases of corruption at the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) where  a number of the staff were interdicted with the view to prosecuting those whose conducts infringe on the law. 

The Minister condemned the penchant of some staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority,  to engage in activities that prevent the State from generating more revenue. 

He said it is sad the situation still persist even when officials are trying to pardon those involved in previous corrupt practices. 

This is contained in an address read for him by a Deputy Minister of Finance, Kwaku Kwarteng at the GRA’s Management Retreat in Kumasi. 

The Finance Minister said fresh irregularities have been uncovered at the Ports and described the staff involved as daring the powers of the state. 

He indicated that the Ministry will punish the culprits. 

Mr. Ofori-Atta, commended the GRA for its revenue performance in 2017 though it fell short of the annual target. 

He announced the payment of bonus to staff of the Authority to encourage them to work harder this year (2018). 

The Finance Minister said the Tax Stamp policy will be implemented from the next quarter despite pressure from some stakeholder particularly manufacturers. 

He stressed the need for continuous dialogue among the key stakeholders to accept the new policy. 

The Commissioner General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, said the Authority  last year generated 32.3 billion Ghana Cedis, with a shortfall of 1.1 billion Ghana Cedi. 

The revenue target for 2018 is 39.8 billion Ghana Cedis representing 23.26% increase over last year’s  figure. 

He said with effective supervision, new initiatives in debt collection, sustained public education and application of the tax laws the target can be achieved.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, called for voluntary tax compliance by all eligible citizens and corporate entities. 

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