[ 2016-06-14 ]

Exchange of data critical to addressing tax issues - GRA
Tax authorities and African governments have been
urged to adopt effective information exchange
systems based on proper implementation of
international standards of transparency.

This is necessary because exchange of information
among member countries ensure that corporate
bodies and individual taxpayers would have no safe
haven to hide their income and assets but pay the
right amount of taxes.

Mr George Blankson, the Commissioner General of
the Ghana Revenue Authority, said this at the
opening of a three-day first African Tax
Administrators Forum (ATAF) consultative meeting
of African Competent Authorities in Accra.

The meeting would enable delegates to understand
the role of the Office of the Competent Authority
to the revenue administration and the benefits of
ATAF members in utilising the exchange of
information programme.

Mr Blankson said effective information exchange
required an established legal basis for exchanging
tax information with other jurisdictions as well
as clear and efficient internal processes.

He said the exchange of information for tax
purposes had become a key part of risk management
of revenue collection and administration.

“Even though globalisation generates greater
opportunities for the increase of wealth it also
results in greater risk to domestic revenue
mobilisation through tax invasion, aggressive tax
planning and tax avoidance,” he said.

He said delegates were expected to put in place
the necessary policies, legislations and
information systems to engage in effective
exchange of information as well as safeguard the
confidentiality of information provided under
exchange of information.

Mrs Elizabeth Storbeck, the Programme
Co-ordinator of ATAF Exchange of Information
Programme, said African countries faced various
challenges in respect of the effectiveness of
their tax systems.

She said the overall revenue yields and voluntary
compliance of African countries were low and the
taxation of international transactions in terms of
transfer pricing had become difficult.

Mrs Storbeck urged tax authorities in Africa to
develop sound policies that would promote
efficient and effective tax administration to
improve the living standards of the citizenry.

ATAF was launched on November 18, 2009 by
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda at a
conference attended by heads and senior officials
of 31 African tax administrations, nine
development partners and 18 development partner
organisations.

Source - GNA

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