By: Iddrissu A. Jara

The Acting Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr. Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, has announced that GRA is undertaking an ambitious initiative to incorporate eight million new taxpayers into the national tax system.

This initiative is part of a significant effort to broaden the country’s revenue base and enhance domestic mobilization strategies, with the goal of increasing Ghana’s current taxpayer population, which is estimated at 19 million, through two key programs: “the Sustained Tax Education Programme and the Modified Taxation Scheme” (MTS).

The CEO made this statement during the launch of the Sustained Tax Education Programme and Modified Taxation Scheme (MTS) in Accra.

He clarified that the new revenue mobilization initiatives are part of the government’s larger strategy to decrease reliance on foreign aid and borrowing by improving domestic revenue collection.

The Commissioner-General revealed that GRA estimates the size of this target group to be approximately 8 million, emphasizing that they aim to include about 2 million individuals in the tax net within the next three years.

“If we achieve this with an average of GH₵5,000.00 per individual for 2 million people over the next 3 years, we will be adding 10 million Ghana cedis to the tax net in phase one,” Mr. Sarpong stressed.

He further noted that in phase 2, they aspire to include an additional 6 million individuals in the tax net. “…And that would contribute an extra 30 billion Ghana cedis to the tax net.”

Mr. Sarpong is confident that if this initiative succeeds, it will represent one of the most significant revenue expansion efforts in recent years, transforming Ghana’s fiscal landscape and enabling the funding of essential development priorities without relying on external assistance.

This represents a significant opportunity, and we are confident that with the collective support of all Ghanaians and our partners, we can enhance revenue mobilization in the future,” stated the Commissioner General.

In his remarks, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko-Ampem commended the GRA for this initiative, which he indicated would contribute positively to the government’s revenue strategy for development.

He further emphasized that the mid-year budget, which will be presented next Thursday by the Finance Minister, will include tax relief measures for the citizens.