Michael Acheampong
MANAGER OF the Asokwa Small Taxpayer Office of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Michael Acheampong, has expressed optimism over achieving the tax-collection target for the 2019 fiscal year.
According to him, the GH?35 billion target will be achieved without any harassment to taxpayers, despite doubts expressed following the revenue shortfall recorded in the third quarter for the year.
Speaking to DGN Online during a clean-up exercise at the Kumasi Children’s Home by staff at the Asokwa STO, Mr Acheampong said management had geared all efforts toward mopping up to reach the planned budget.
“We have come out with a lot of strategies. All efforts are geared towards achieving the 2019 target before we can think of the 2020 one,” he stressed.
He indicated that the clean-up exercise was one of their corporate social responsibilities, even though they understand that their core mandate is to mobilize revenue for national development.
For him, it is important to “touch down with our communities, especially the less privileged in society by coming out of our offices, and this is what you see today.”
“We came to engage in cleaning exercise and interact with the inmates and managers of this home. It is the best thing to do once a while,” he stated.
Manageress of the Home, Mabel Amponsah, on behalf of the children, expressed gratitude to the staff of the GRA, asserting that the kind gesture shown will make the inmates feel that society also cares for them.
“They have helped us to clean this place. As we all know, when the environment is not clean, it leads to so many things, including disease. That is why we are so grateful to them for coming to assist us in cleaning the children’s cots, dormitories, and gutters,” she noted.
She appealed to other organisations and agencies to emulate the kind gesture by the GRA staff and added that the 78 inmates will always to thankful for such benevolence.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi