VAT Service schools agents on tax compliance

The Value Added Tax (VAT) Service, Abossey Okai Branch in Accra has held a tax education seminar, aimed at helping newly registered agents to ensure voluntary tax compliance.

The seminar which brought together over 60 participants located in the Abossey Okai business area and its environs was aimed at bringing together taxpayers closer to the tax administrators in order to better understand the issues and work together to achieve meaningful results.

It was also meant to give participants the opportunity to get to know how they can partner VAT in the mobilisation of revenue for national development.

The seminar is under the theme: ‘Enhancing Revenue Collection Through Voluntary Compliance,’ was intended to improve customer service and enhance transparency among tax administrators.

Mrs. Adelaide Sagoe-Nkansah, Head of Abossey Okai Branch at the seminar explained that the taxpayer is key in the whole business of taxation which underscores why the State is constantly seeking to reform tax institutions in order to improve efficiency in service delivery.

She indicated that the Service has instituted the exercise to ensure that attention will be paid to their special needs which would enhance co-operation for higher compliance levels.

“The role of tax administration is to mobilise revenue for the state to function and to generate funds to pay for all the common services of public good such as education, health, security and even disaster relief.

“It is the responsibility of the government to provide social amenities for residents of a country and that individual on our own cannot do that,” monies collected as taxes are therefore used to embark on such developmental projects,” Mrs. Sagoe-Nkansah emphasized.

Mrs. Cecilia Dwobeng-Asare, Head of Client Service, Abossey Okai VAT said: “The mission of the Service is to collect taxes and we need to do this job by encouraging registered agents who collect the taxes on their behalf to come and pay them voluntarily at our offices.”

She explained that it is an offence under section 56 of the VAT Law to fail to register with the VAT Service if a business qualifies to do so .It is equally an offence under the same section to fail to notify the Commissioner of any changes in business.

Mrs. Dwobeng-Asare advised participants that filing of tax returns was very essential and therefore encouraged them to adhere to the voluntary tax compliance module to avoid breaching the a law and that it also has a lots of benefits.