An Assessment of the Contributions and Challenges of Ghana Revenue Authority (Domestic Tax Revenue Division) Toward Revenue Mobilization. (a Case Study of Ghana Revenue Authority Head Office)
Chapter one
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In almost all nations of the world today, taxes form the most important part of governments’ venue. The need for taxation the world over and particularly, the “Third World”, has become necessary; and will remain so with the increasing dependence of the citizenry on the central government for the provision of infrastructure and other necessaries of life. In Ghana, the central government provided and continues to make available such infrastructure as roads, portable water, rural and urban electrification, hospitals, schools and many others. In addition, the state provides defense for its people against external aggression and the maintenance of law and order.
The indisputable fact is that none of these social and economic needs enumerated above can be satisfied by any government without adequate revenue. It is based on this fact that there was the need for the government to levy taxes on the income of the legible citizenry.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (Domestic Tax Revenue Division) is charged with that utmost responsibility of levying and collecting taxes on the incomes of individuals such as the Employed and Self-employed, (Income Tax), corporate bodies (Corporation Tax), Capital Gains (Capital Gains Tax) and others. Income taxes are different from other sources of revenue in that they are compulsory levies and are unrequited; they are not paid in exchange for any specific thing. In spite of the many contributions of taxation, the Ghana Revenue Authority (Domestic Tax Revenue Division) faces certain challenges in mobilizing revenue. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The idea of taxation in Ghana, the then the Gold Coast, could be dated as far back as 1852AD. This idea was hatched by Lord Greg, the then colonial secretary to the Gold Coast. The reason behind this idea was that the Gold Coast had then been upgraded into a district, dependent of the British Crown, with its own executive and legislative council. This occurred when the
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In almost all nations of the world today, taxes form the most important part of governments’ venue. The need for taxation the world over and particularly, the “Third World”, has become necessary; and will remain so with the increasing dependence of the citizenry on the central government for the provision of infrastructure and other necessaries of life. In Ghana, the central government provided and continues to make available such infrastructure as roads, portable water, rural and urban electrification, hospitals, schools and many others. In addition, the state provides defense for its people against external aggression and the maintenance of law and order.
The indisputable fact is that none of these social and economic needs enumerated above can be satisfied by any government without adequate revenue. It is based on this fact that there was the need for the government to levy taxes on the income of the legible citizenry.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (Domestic Tax Revenue Division) is charged with that utmost responsibility of levying and collecting taxes on the incomes of individuals such as the Employed and Self-employed, (Income Tax), corporate bodies (Corporation Tax), Capital Gains (Capital Gains Tax) and others. Income taxes are different from other sources of revenue in that they are compulsory levies and are unrequited; they are not paid in exchange for any specific thing. In spite of the many contributions of taxation, the Ghana Revenue Authority (Domestic Tax Revenue Division) faces certain challenges in mobilizing revenue. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The idea of taxation in Ghana, the then the Gold Coast, could be dated as far back as 1852AD. This idea was hatched by Lord Greg, the then colonial secretary to the Gold Coast. The reason behind this idea was that the Gold Coast had then been upgraded into a district, dependent of the British Crown, with its own executive and legislative council. This occurred when the