GRA to achieve 2021 revenue target despite COVID-19

The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is hoping to achieve its revenue target in the year 2021 despite the coronavirus challenges in the country.

The Division said the virus affected its revenue generation in the year 2020 but due to the pragmatic measures that have been put in place to curtail the virus, it is hoping to achieve its target of GHS53.5billion.

The Commissioner for the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Col Kwadwo Damoah (Rtd), said this on Onua TV’s Maakye on Wednesday hosted by Adwoa Konadu-Yiadom.

He said the 2021 revenue target set by the government for the Division is GHS53.5 billion as against the year 2020 which was GHS47.3billion.

Col Damoah said “we could not achieve the GHS47.3….but there was an amendment in the law because we had no idea of the COVID-19”.

He said “when it [COVID-19] came and we saw the impact on the economy, we went to Parliament for a Mid-year review of the target and it was reduced by GHS5bilion but we were able to generate GHS43billion”.

Asked on how they would generate the targeted GHS53.5billion in the year 2021 because the COVID-19 is still in the system, Col Damoah said “we have now seen the nature of the virus and the government has also come out with good policies to combat it. The vaccines are coming and we believe that with the kind of education and sensitization, we should be able to go back to work and then we can achieve our target”.

Col Damoah said “with the directives to follow the protocols, it will help us to be able to work and that may mean that it will not have a great impact on the economy and we may go beyond GHS 53 billion if we are not able to achieve the full target”.

By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|3news.com|Ghana