Government in support of CITG bill

Government in support of CITG bill

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY and Benson AFFUL

President John Evans Atta Mills has assured the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana, (CITG) of government’s support for the CITG bill which will be laid before Parliament shortly.

He said government’s motivation is based on the fact that the country would be the ultimate beneficiary when it has a thriving tax professional body in the country.

The president advised the CITG, of which he is a member, to device schemes aimed at growing the Institute in terms of numbers and influence in society.

He said that will give the CITG greater recognition as they will be supplying the economy with highly-skilled tax professionals to aid revenue mobilisation and ultimately wean the nation of donor support.

“This will help fill the economy with a high calibre of tax advisers who will accelerate growth in the corporate world while increasing revenue mobilisation for the economy,” he added.

He made this call at the CITG annual tax conference in Accra under the theme, “Strategies for Growth in a Global Recession.”

President Mills commended the Institute for setting apart some time for civil society to engage it on topical taxation issues, and therefore encouraged the Institute to execute more of such programmes to educate Ghanaians on relevant tax issues that confront them.

“You will agree with me that there is rarely a platform where taxpayers, tax collectors and tax advisors meet to discuss taxation issues. We need to encourage this to happen more often because it will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences across the region all with the aim of improving tax compliance and revenue mobilisation.

“I believe it will create a tax-conscious mind and awaken the citizenry to their civic tax obligations,” he emphasised.

Prince Rasaq Adekunle Quadri, President, West Africa Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI), for his part, stated that the Institute is expected, among others, to develop and enhance the taxation profession in the Africa sub-region, and improve professional ethics and standards in member-bodies.

He added that the Institute is to act as a centre for the development and dissemination of information concerning taxation standards and practices while breaking down the barriers to doing business within the region.

The WAUTI was formally inaugurated on Wednesday May 11^th 2011 in Abuja, Nigeria, with Chartered Institute of Taxation, Nigeria and Ghana being member institutes and representatives of revenue authorities from Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo as affiliate members.

Established in 1980, the CITG is the oldest tax institute in Africa and sole professional body mandated by law to certify tax professionals and regulate the practice in Ghana.

It seeks to promote the advancement of taxation practice through excellence, integrity and transparency while diligently offering the best professional service to the state and public.