The Tax Justice Coalition has stressed the need for more clarity and relatability in sensitisation efforts as the state hopes to improve the taxation of the informal sector.
On the Citi Breakfast Show as part of the Oxfam Tax Dialogue, a member of the coalition, Jeffery Ocansey said it was important communicators remain mindful of varying education levels of citizens in the informal sector.
“When it comes to communication, no matter how powerful you are, make sure you use mediums they can understand; the picturesque… Use all the icons available to convince people to pay tax,” he noted.
The sensitisation should also be the responsibility of leadership in various sectors of society.
“Whenever they go MPs should talk to the people about paying tax. Churches should be involved. Everybody; all the leaders, pastors, all the imams, let them preach about paying tax so that people will feel that taxes are part of us,” Mr. Ocansey said.
The tax process must also be more inclusive, he noted, saying: “Let them participate in deciding how much they should pay. Let us all agree with them and explain to them why they should pay and make sure they own that process.”
Even though the informal sector is the largest in terms of operators of the economy, constituting about 70 percent, its contribution to tax revenue is negligible, standing at about two percent, according to the Ghana Revenue Authority.