Fiscal Policy Specialist at Oxfam Ghana, Dr Alex Ampaabeng has urged officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority to adopt a more supportive approach to taxpayers to ensure more people become tax compliant.
Dr. Ampaabeng, speaking at the Danquah Institute Economic Forum on Friday, said staff of the Authority usually adopted a stern approach to collect tax following the long-held perception that most people want to evade taxes.
The tax analyst stated that such perceptions only feed into the GRA’s antagonistic nature.
He argued that the GRA must rather adopt a supportive and friendly approach that engages taxpayers in an effective way and makes tax authority very accessible.
He also stated that to boost tax compliance, taxpayers must be given a reason to willingly want to pay taxes.
“People need to see in their immediate environment what their taxes are being used for and this will encourage them to continue to pay more,” he said.