Bastiat Ghana slams national tax net widening efforts
Bastiat Ghana, a liberal economy think tank, says an analytical study has proven that successive governments did not see the achievement of widening the tax net in the short term.
The study, which spans late 2013 to 2015 said government is not happy about the amount generated from tax revenue corresponding to it expenditure targets to address the economic challenges.
A statement issued by Bastiat Ghana by Dr Tweneboah Senzu, Executive Director and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra, noted that the major concern of Ghana has been the tightening of the tax burden on the already captured businesses on the national database to fulfil its promise to donors in widening the tax net.
This the institute says has mounted pressure on the few in the taxation net, adding: “Sincerely the quality of life of most Ghanaians is depreciating due to inflation.”
The statement said: evidence from our research studies depict that over reliance on classical economic statistics of the trends of the Ghanaian business market could be very deceptive.
“This is due to the rapid changes and development dynamics of the market, such that the identified period to depend on data trends in the economic market is statistically indentified to be in monthly bases precisely and validity could expand not beyond three months.
“Therefore our findings deduce that the force to drive the direction of the economy has to do more with behavioural studies on micro level translating to the macro-economic dynamics, leading to quality initiatives for behavioural orientations.
“ Such is the factors considered, resulting in the designing of the Bastiat Institute module to increase the revenue collection to about 40 per cent greater than the existing revenue collecting database of government just in a duration of 2-3years from 2015.”
The statement said Bastiat Society Ghana sponsored the crafting of the design module as well as its implementation to assist government in widening the tax net to shape the economy better than present.
“Per our principle, we do not only believe in healthy intellectual discourse but pragmatic actions for change. As at now the institute has sponsored the training of it human resources engaged to manage experimental trial in Brong Ahafo, Ashanti Region, Eastern, Greater Accra, Central and Western regions as part of the phase-1 series.
“The coordinators have been trained with the skills of organising and managing small business owners and aspiring to start business to have free entrepreneurship training through our partnered University TUA at the sponsorship of Bastiat Society Ghana. After the training, participants are grouped according to their individual entrepreneurial needs and wants.”
The statement said organised group are assigned to a team of experts as incubators in just a year after their training to nurture them to the position whereby their minds and businesses would be oriented fully into the office of entrepreneurship to qualify quantum of the informal sector to be recognised by government for tax payment.
It would position them in a commitment of payment thereof all in a sponsorship of Bastiat Society Ghana.
“Even though, we as an institute anticipate recalcitrant small business owners who may be reluctant to pay taxes per their own reasons, we believe that per our strategy and model frame work to draw win-win situation- line between Government and the small scale enterprise, taking very important clauses of the constitutions into considerations, we will overcome the situation, if it arises.
“As at now the Bastiat Society Ghana could boast of 1000 membership from the grass root and people may wonder why it is not reflecting in our social media platform? The reason is simple our social media site are for the elite fellowship but the grass root are mostly uneducated.
“If they have education it is to the marginal level and those with the highest level of education are involved so much with the grassroots business that they never have ample time for social media business.
“We have a target of hitting 50,000 memberships in 12 months from July in all spheres of Industrial business sectors, the statement said.
The design module is incorporated with operation sustain your business with capital injection and operations transform your venture into export business.
Source: GNA