INVOLVE TAXPAYERS IN FIXING TAXES (PAGE 20)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Saboba

THE Saboba branch of the Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association has appealed to various tax agencies including the district assemblies to involve taxpayers such as professional bodies and other business operators in the fixing of taxes.
They noted that such proposal when accepted could help address the misunderstandings that usually arise between taxpayers and the respective agencies in honouring their tax obligations.
The Secretary of the association, Mr Aziz Mustapha, made the appeal at Saboba in the Northern Region.
He further observed that such a move would go a long way to promote friendly tax regime in the districts, thereby bringing relief to taxpayers and also boost the revenue base of the agencies.
Mr Mustapha was speaking at a day’s consultative forum on the promotion of a friendly tax regime organised by the association for its members and other stakeholders in the district.
The secretary also urged the tax agencies to intensify their outreach programmes to all districts for the people to appreciate the need to pay their taxes.
‘‘In the recent past, business operators in the Saboba District had to lock up their shops anytime officers from the Internal Revenue Service were in town,’’ he stated.
The Yendi Municipal Inspector of Taxes, Mr Isaac Freeman Badu, who has an oversight responsibility over the area, however, explained that his outfit had often involved the association in the collection of taxes from members but ‘‘they have not been living up to expectation”.
He also expressed concern about the failure of most business operators in the district to honour their tax obligations.
Mr Badu reminded them that it was with revenue from such taxes that the government carried out development projects for their benefit.
For his part, the Yendi Municipal Manager of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Mr Jos Arris-Bougre, explained the importance of the scheme to the participants and advised people in the private sector to contribute to the Trust.
The Deputy District Co-ordinating Director for Saboba, Mr Abdulai Abdul-Hanan Wumbei, called for the active collaboration of all professional bodies and agencies in decisions affecting their welfare.