The Ghana Revenue Authority, Customs Division, as part of its corporate social responsibility has embarked on a massive cleanup exercise in the Upper East regional capital, Bolgatanga.
Aside forming part of the country’s security force, the division sensitizes the public on the importance of paying tax, mobilizes revenue for government and blocking revenue loopholes.
But all these, according to the Sector Commander of Ghana Revenue Authority, Customs Division in the Upper East Region, Assistant Commissioner (AC) Baffour Yaw Asare, cannot be achieved if the tax payer operates in an unhealthy environment.
“We are doing this cleaning exercise to ensure that the taxpaying public has a healthy environment to work in. Because, it is only when the tax payer is healthy, that they can work to generate income which we can also tax. Over the years, we have been taking revenue from the public and this is the time for us to also give back to the public, a little of what we get from them.”
The exercise saw the customs officers being heavily supported by personnel of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) who were posted there.
Areas that received facelift as a result of the cleaning exercise included the Jubilee Park, the main Bolga lorry station and market stores and sheds. Some choked gutters in the Bolgatanga township were also disilted.
The Sector Commander indicated that his outfit, after the exercise intends to donate the cleaning equipment for the day’s work to the Upper East regional hospital and Afrikids Medical Center.
Touching on revenue mobilization, AC Asare said regardless of the havoc created by the novel coronavirus, the division hopes to meet its revenue target by the end of the year, 2020.
“As of August, revenue mobilization has improved. I have a monthly target of about Gh¢1.5M. This comprises of 8 stations of which 5 are border areas and 2 are checkpoints.”
He also used the occasion to encourage tax payers to ensure they meet their tax obligations.
Ahead of the December elections, he indicated that 30 personnel from his outfit have been assigned to join other security services to beef up security in the Upper East region.
Source: A1Radioonline.come|101.1MHZ|Joshua Asaah|Ghana
