Tax consultant Francis Timore Boi, has expressed skepticism about the Government’s plan to tax major global tech companies such as Google, YouTube, X, and Facebook.
During the 3i Summit in Accra, the Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, announced that a draft policy to tax these tech giants has been completed.
She noted that even though these companies might not have physical offices in Ghana, they generate substantial income from the country through their content.
However, Mr. Timore Boi believes that it would be impractical for individual African countries to create tax laws that compel global tech giants based outside the continent to pay taxes.
He advised that the Government of Ghana should collaborate with other African nations to develop a comprehensive policy that would effectively enforce such taxes.
“If you look at the draft bill, you need to ascertain the global revenue of these global tech companies. You need to ascertain the revenue of Facebook, YouTube, X which are not in your country but located in the United States. You will even need technical capabilities and a lot of cooperation is needed. I don’t foresee this happening,” he explained.
Mr. Timore Boi emphasized that while there is a valid argument for African countries to demand taxes from global tech firms, it should be done in a way that leaves no room for these companies to evade payment.
He highlighted that a coordinated approach among African countries would be more effective than individual efforts, stressing that Ghana’s solitary attempt might not achieve the desired results.
He also pointed out that a review of the financials of such companies indicates that African countries could potentially generate significant revenue from their operations.
Thus, a unified approach would have a substantial impact on revenue mobilization, given the increasing digital engagement across the continent.