Rev. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah
The purported imminent retirement of the Commissioner-General of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, is heightening lobbying for the top position.
Whilst some want Rev. Owusu-Amoah, who took over from Kofi Nti, to be given an extended appointment, others are urging President Akufo-Addo not to extend his stay.
There are unconfirmed reports that Rev. Owusu-Amoah is due for retirement in October and there is already intense lobbying for him to stay on contract for another two years.
Some bigwigs within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are also kicking against the plans to extend the Commissioner-General’s stay in office, insisting that the role could better be played by another person.
They are claiming that the current Commissioner-General spearheaded the implementation of certain tax policies, especially at the ports, that have brought uneasy calm among the business community.
They said, for instance, that the supposed unpopular policies are giving the government a bad name and even said if the trend continues, the NPP will find it tough in 2024, which the ruling party is working hard to make the ‘Breaking the 8’ agenda happen.
The agitators are saying that some of the tax policies are stifling small businesses instead of making them grow as envisaged by the government, and claimed further that the Commissioner-General and his team are not attaching human face to the policies being pursued.
They claimed also that the tax policies and certain initiatives of the GRA, particularly at the ports, almost caused the NPP to be defeated in the 2020 general election, saying “it was so unbelievable that this was made to pass without concern even under a Covid economy with its attendant repercussions on the election. Any wonder the NPP recorded the outcome they had?”
They also said that the GRA has been unable to maximise revenue generation and have been doing the same old things expecting new results, saying “it will not be prudent politically for the President and the NPP to continue to keep the GRA top guru and a number of them there.”