AGI wants tax refund system reviewed
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has raised concerns about the inefficient implementation of tax refund systems introduced in the 2013 Budget.
Companies which export products are entitled to refunds on duties they pay on their inputs used in producing them, a system known as the duty drawback.
Similarly, companies which collect Value Added Tax on behalf of the government are entitled to refunds when the tax they pay on inputs exceed what the final product or service generates.
However, the largest private sector association of industry said although the system was well-intentioned, it had lost its essence as refunds unduly delayed and should be given another look if the government really wanted to help industries.
The Policy Research Officer of the AGI, Mr John Defor, told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS in Accra on the sidelines of a pre-budget tax consultative meeting by the Ministry of Finance that there were huge amounts of refunds in arrears.
He said though resources available for refunds and duty draw back were increased to two per cent of the Ghana Revenue Authority‘s (GRA) collection to address the many overdue refunds, that had not been the case.
Duty draw back system
To address delayed payment of Value Added Tax (VAT), refund and duty drawback system, the 2013 budget assured that the Ministry of Finance would ensure that there were enough resources available for the VAT refunds and the duty drawbacks.
Ultimately, the GRA, in its administrative improvement is expected to adopt an accounting system to enable taxpayers to offset such refunds against other tax liabilities.
However, Mr Defor said, the refunds had lost their essence as far as businesses were concerned because the two per cent in the GRA’s collection did not reflect, looking at the huge amounts of duty draw back in arrears.
“This is one single year that businesses have come under so much financial stress. We are all aware of the macroeconomic challenges that are facing us and it is really biting at businesses,” he said.
AGI’s recommendation
To be able to widen the tax net, the association recommends the informal sector should be regularised.
“If you do a tax profile analysis, you realise it is the same people who have availed themselves to pay tax. There is a very large informal sector. AGI believes that the way forward is to first regularise the informal sector which is vibrant and growing one with 93 per cent of economic active population employed by the sector, out of which 83 per cent belong to the private informal sector,” he said.
Pre-budget consultative meeting
The GIZ sponsored pre-budget consultative meetings is organised by the Ministry of Finance to engage stakeholders to dialogue and seek their opinions on how best to develop Ghana’s tax policy.
The Accra meeting was the final in a series of meetings held in Kumasi, Koforidua, Tamale and Northern Region to dialogue on critical issues concerning taxation.
A Tax Policy Advisor at the Finance Ministry, Dr Edward Larbi-Siaw, asked Ghanaians to support the government to raise more revenue to reduce government borrowing.
He called for ideas and contributions from recognised professional bodies, associations, civil-society organisations and individuals to be factored into the upcoming budget.
Graphic Business