The Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Kofi Nti has lashed out at associations that are against the implementation of the 3 percent VAT Flat rate, describing them as showing bad faith.
The Exporters and Importers Association and the Food and Beverages Association are among the groups against the implementation of the 3 percent VAT Flat Rate.
The flat rate was introduced by the government after the 17.5 percent VAT targeted at specific areas was abolished to widen the tax net.
Speaking to Citi Business News, at the launch of an Electronic Health Management Information Systems, the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Kofi Nti maintained that the new flat rate has not resulted in price increases.
“The flat rate scheme is basically to make it convenient for the tax collector, it is not a very a complex thing. It hasn’t got the input-output where there is a lot of complication. So if you are a tax payer, at the end of the day, it is the consumer who matters most,” he said.
Describing the opponents of the schemes as noise makers, Mr. Nti expressed surprise at the claims of the associations that prices have gone up.
“When you look at all the noise that is going on, you don’t hear the consumers talking because at the end of the day, when you buy a product and you do the take out and you do the analysis, and you check on the amount that you pay, you will know you are paying minimal against the previous time,” he insisted.
Mr. Nti debunked the notion that the authority announced and implemented the scheme without consultation with key stakeholders.
“Enough consultations were done before the scheme was launched. People are showing bad faith. When we raised the VAT from 10 to12.5 percent nobody talked of price increases, from 12.5 percent to 14 percent nobody talked of price increases. When it went to 17.5 percent nobody talked of price increase, so why now?,” he quizzed.
He stated that there is no need for the associations to demand that the scheme is halted when consumers have not complained of price increases.
About the eHMIS
The electronic health management information systems(eHMIS) is a comprehensive web enabled system that provides customized services for staff/users, organization, health providers and insurance companies.
The key features are portable personal confidential electronic health record and related personal risk assessment with automatic follow up mechanism.
It also has a general and personalized health education and communication via SMS and e-mails among others.
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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana