Ghana Revenue Authority Gains ¢440 Million in 6 Months from E-commerce Taxes

Since the latter part of 2022 when taxes were introduced on e-commerce services in Ghana, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has successfully collected approximately ¢440 million from these online businesses.

Revealing this at the 11th Annual International Tax Conference in Accra, the Commissioner General of GRA, Rev. Dr. Ammisshadai Owusu Amoah, stated that around 110 firms have registered on the tax portal and are diligently paying their taxes.

The theme of this year’s tax conference, “Taxation and economic development; a review of Ghana’s tax policies,” was selected to mirror the country’s tax collection status, which has been comparatively lower than other nations.

The Commissioner General highlighted a remarkable surge in the tax ratio due to the significant increase in business registrations in recent months. He explained, “We have established an online portal which many online businesses have registered, and I’m sure some of you have come across getting VAT whenever you do a Google transaction. And I must mention that in the last six months, we have collected about ¢440 million from some of these e-commerce platforms.”

“These platforms work through payment providers in Ghana which are also required to register with the Central Bank and given some additional requirements that must be met before being able to carry out their businesses,” he added.

In representation of the Ghanaian President, Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osarfo Marfo urged the Institute of Taxation Ghana to collaborate with the Ghana Education Service in formulating tax education policies.

“Let us end this conference with some recommendations and I want to appeal to the Institute of Taxation Ghana to forge a relationship with the Ministry of Education to come up with some teachings on taxation, from the basic level where everyone will feel the patriotism to pay taxes without being asked to do so,” he emphasized.

The President of the Institute, George Ohene Kwatia, encouraged members to enhance their comprehension of the nation’s tax laws and promote voluntary tax payments.