The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced that individuals without a Tax Identification Number (TIN), effective today [April 3, 2018] will not be allowed to acquire a Driver\u2019s license, open a bank account, get a passport, transact business with government, or register a business.<\/p>\n
The TIN, according to the GRA, is aimed at uniquely identifying potential taxpayers to broaden the tax base.<\/p>\n
The Authority\u00a0has, in recent times, announced that all Ghanaians working must acquire a TIN to fulfill the Revenue Administration Act (RAA), 2016, Act 915.<\/p>\n
Some of the institutions that will require TIN are the DVLA, RGD, Passport Office, GRA, Lands Commission, Law Courts, Ministries, government departments, agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.<\/p>\n
Addressing journalists at a press conference, the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti warned that institutions mandated to check the TIN must do so before transacting businesses with the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne cannot transact business with these institutions if one does not have the TIN. One cannot clear goods from the ports, register land documents with the Lands Commission, obtain a Tax Clearance certificate from the\u00a0 GRA, open a bank account, register your company, and obtain payments for jobs or contracts done for government,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
He added that without the TIN, a person cannot file a case at the courts, bid for contracts from government agencies, conduct business with any ministry, departments, agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.<\/p>\n
Mr. Nti explained that this is to help increase the number of people currently issued with TIN; a total of 1,090,338 people.<\/p>\n
He disclosed that the GRA has already held series of meetings with the key institutions that must help inspect the TIN to ensure the smooth operations of the policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese institutions have been requested to modify their forms to include a field for the provision of TIN. Consequently, GRA expects the institutions mentioned above to demand the TIN of their clients before transacting business with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sounding a word of caution, Mr. Nti stressed that refusal to inspect the TIN will mean a breach of the law, which will attract the necessary consequences.<\/p>\n
He explained that to get the TIN, \u201cone only needs to pick a registration form from any GRA Office, complete and attach the necessary coloured photocopies of a Driver\u2019s license, National Identification Card, Voter\u2019s Identification Card, or a passport and submit at\u00a0 no cost to the GRA.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stated that it is important for Ghanaians to pay their taxes since that is the only way government can redistribute wealth to cover the poor and vulnerable in the society.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we must be tax compliance because that is the only way we can be part of the state and demand development from government. Everybody working must make it a point to pay their taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
By: Lawrence Segbefia\/citibusinessnews.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced that individuals without a Tax Identification Number (TIN), effective today [April 3, 2018] will not be allowed to acquire a Driver\u2019s license, open a bank account, get a passport, transact business with government, or register a business. The TIN, according to the GRA, is aimed at uniquely identifying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":404557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32,171],"tags":[8921,3,2273,18423],"yoast_head":"\n