Gov't to enhance capacity of revenue generation machinery

The Executive Secretary of the Revenue Agencies Board, Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, has pledged Government's resolve to enhance the capacity of the revenue generation machinery through administrative reforms. The tax base would be broadened to bring in more revenue and the quality of service to the taxpayer improved. Mr Sallas-Mensah said it is for this reason that Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), and Value Added Tax (VAT) Service, would be integrated into the Ghana Revenue Authority effective from January, 2010. He said this at the opening of the Fifth Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the IRS branch of the Public Service Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), in Kumasi on Monday. Attended by 80 delegates drawn from all over the country, the two-day meeting is being held under the theme "Positioning Labour in the Integration Process of the Revenue Sector for Increased Revenue Mobilization - The Case of the IRS". Mr. Sallas-Mensah said the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure needed to be backed by increased revenue to help the Government to deliver on the mandate of providing more socio-economic development infrastructure. The Executive Secretary said the expectation is that the synergy of integration would provide the renewed muscle to deal with this as had been achieved by African countries like Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. "The agenda is not to victimize or marginalize anyone or any group of workers and that, we the agents of government will not do anything to aggravate the unemployment situation in the country." He appealed to the delegates to deliberate on the integration concept thoroughly and submit inputs for further administrative and structural improvements. Mr A.T.D. Okine, General Secretary of PSWU, asked the Board to involve the PWSU in the on-going integration process for its success. He urged the Management of IRS to clear the backlog of promotions before the integration and develop motivational scheme, to stop the rampant resignations that has hit the service. Major David Sowah Ablorh-Quarcoo, Commissioner of IRS, in a speech read for him expressed satisfaction with the high level of cooperation between Management and the Union, saying, that has contributed towards the successful operations of the organization. Mr. David Kudowor, out-going Divisional Chairman of the Union, suggested a post-merger creation of Industrial Relations Unit, manned by seasoned Industrial Relations Officers to help resolve conflicts. Ms Georgina Opoku Amamkwa, National Chairperson of the PSWU, said they should addresses challenges that would come with the integration.