The Minister for Finance, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has paid a working visit to The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
He visited the GRA on Monday Febraury 19.
He said “Undoubtedly, revenue mobilisation is a key priority of Government. This has assumed greater significance in the context of the on-going fiscal consolidation reforms. The role of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in meeting this key priority is clearly beyond question. Now I believe you understand why I have prioritised GRA.
“Commissioner-General, this Institution continues to perform admirably well. Last year, you managed to exceed the revenue target for 2023. Although the public seems to question the framework for target setting, I congratulate you on this achievement. However, this achievement also reveals the depth of potential to be optimised. This view is also shared by the wider public. I expect that we work together, through a structured framework, to exceed the GH¢145 billion target outlined in the 2024 Budget. Quite sincerely, we need to urgently agree a roadmap to enable us to exceed the revenue target and meet pressing needs, including completing critical infrastructure. Achieving and exceeding the targets is also critical to the success of the IMF-Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Programme. We cannot afford to miss our commitments programme.
“Commissioner-General, , I take theis opportunity to reiterate to you and your team the three (3) key commitments you made under the programme for 2024: cleaning of the GRA taxpayer register by end-June 2024; complete data migration from all existing portals to the ITAS;operationalize the major modules (registration, returns filing and payments) in the system (and processes needed to be completed prior to that) by end December 2024.
“I expect that your Team works assiduously to honour these obligations and on time. Attaining these and other targets as well as benchmarks will speak to and reinforce our commitment to stay the course on the IMF programme. This will continue to improve business sentiments and have a positive spill-over effect into other areas. We simply have to stay the course.”
Earlier, on that same day, he outlined seven priority points in his first meeting with the Management of the Ministry.
“I will bring new urgency to bear on the work so we can run and fly and make an impact within this short period” he said.
Dr Amin succeeded Ken Ofori-Atta at the Ministry in the recent ministerial reshuffle done by President Akufo-Addo on February 14.
Earlier, he told journalists that “Revenue collection will be pursued aggressively. So you are going to see me moving around the revenue centres, the ports, the airport, and the market areas to encourage the staff of GRA to collect more revenue but also to institute a friendly approach to collecting revenue.”
