The Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, has pledged better conditions of service for the staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Customs officers in a bid to enhance revenue generation.
He promised to provide the officers of the GRA, particularly the Customs Division, with the needed logistics and attend to their welfare concerns, including promotion issues, rehabilitation of their barracks and offices, roads within their operational area and also provide them with quad bikes to be able to go to the communities and monitor unapproved routes to check smuggling and abuse of customs protocol by importers and exporters to increase revenue generation.
He said this during a visit to the GRA and Customs posts at the Aflao border last Friday in the company of the Commissioner-General of GRA, Julie Essiam, and the Commissioner, Customs Division, Brigadier General Ziblim Bawa Ayorrogo, and some senior staff of the ministry to interact with the officials of GRA.
The minister and the team also toured some of their facilities and discussed measures and solutions to shore up revenue.
Concern, reforms
Dr Adam stated that smuggling activities along unapproved routes and inadequate logistics which were some factors causing the shortfall in the revenue generation would soon be a thing of the past after provision of the needed logistics.
He expressed hope that the GRA would exceed its revenue target this year to match or exceed that of last year’s which it exceeded by about 49 per cent. That, according to the Minister of Finance, would be achieved through the implementation of reforms to address issues of leakages as a result of people smuggling or using unapproved borders.
“What I have seen here gives me hope. I can see that the men and women are up to it. Last year, revenue growth was about 49 per cent. I know that we can repeat it or even do better but it is important that we engage so that everyone can come on board. I am very happy about the energy and resilience I have seen in the officials here to pursue revenue,” Dr Adam stated.
Support
For her part, the Commissioner-General urged the staff of GRA and the Customs Division to work hard to generate the needed revenue for the year for which some have expressed doubt because it is an election year.
Ms Essiam, however, reiterated that leadership of the authority was taking all necessary measures to ensure that they lacked nothing in the delivery of their work. The Commissioner-General also charged officers to continue to work professionally to erase the erroneous impression created about them by some Ghanaians to change the face of GRA and the Customs Division.
The Commissioner, Customs Division, for his part, said there would be training for GRA and Customs officers soon on how to curb smuggling. Brigadier General Ayorrogo said the training was being sponsored by the Japanese government to equip them with the skills.
He urged the officers to exhibit very high professional ethics in the discharge of their duties in revenue collection to bring honour to their profession and the body they represented.
The Aflao Customs Sector Commander, Assistant Commissioner (AC) Joseph Allan, expressed gratitude to the Minister of Finance, the Commissioner-General and the Commissioner, Customs Division, for their visit and attentiveness to their welfare.
He stated that the Aflao Command continued to work hard to help exceed the revenue generation expectations for the year. AC Allan also gave an assurance that the Aflao Sector Command was ready to discharge its duties not only as revenue collectors, but also ensure public safety and peace during the election process this year in collaboration with other security agencies.
Source: Graphiconline