President Akufo-Addo has dissolved the Board of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
According to available information, the Commissioner General of the GRA who is also a member of the board, Rev Dr Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah (62), has been replaced by Miss Julie Essiam.
Madam Essiam, until her new appointment, was the Commissioner responsible for the Support Services Division of the GRA.
Sources say Miss Pearl Darko, the current Deputy Director General in charge of Operations at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) will be moved from SNNIT to take up the role of Commissioner responsible for the Support Services Division of the GRA.
Again, the Commissioner of Customs Division, Alhaji Seidu Iddrisu Iddisah, and the Commissioner of Domestic Tax and Revenue Division, Edward Appenteng Gyamerah are expected to be replaced by new appointees following their statutory retirement.
The development comes months after the Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, publicly acknowledged that he has surpassed the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, the GRA boss also revealed that he has been working without a contract for the past two to three years.
This resulted in social media debate with many chastising government and President Akufo-Addo.
The issue brought to the fore the questions about adherence to retirement regulations and the absence of a formal contract for a key government position.
Meanwhile, the President is expected to announce a new Board by the close of the day.
Background on GRA
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was established in 2009 as a merger of the three revenue agencies; the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Value Added Tax Service (VATS), and the Revenue Agencies Governing Board (RAGB) by the Ghana Revenue Authority Act 2009, (Act 791).
The GRA’s core mandate is to ensure maximum compliance with all relevant tax laws to ensure a sustainable revenue stream for government, trade facilitation, and a controlled and safe flow of goods across the country’s borders.
GRA also administers several international agreements that govern the country’s relations with other tax jurisdictions and institutions such as World Customs Organisation Protocols, World Trade Organisation Protocols, Double Taxation, and Exchange of Information Agreements.
The Authority is made up of two operational divisions; the Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD), and the Customs Division (CD) with assistance from the Support Services Division (SSD) and the Commissioner General’s Secretariat.
Credit: myjoyonline.com