AS the country continues to lose tax revenues through loopholes at the various tax units, ICT-based solution provider to the revenue body, the Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet) says it is devising sophisticated methods to deal with the identified problems.
A source close to the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)-based solutions provider to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) indicated that the Valuation Assurance Programme, an upgraded aspect of the warehousing module, the Ghana Integrated Cargo Clearance Systems (GICCS), among other programmes would all be rolled out this year.
Most of these initiated programmes, the source said were targeted at the Customs division of the GRA and other revenue sensitive sectors of the country such as the Tema Harbour.
The customs account of the GRA last year felt short of its end of year target, possibly causing the integrated revenue body to marginally exceed its 2010 revenue target by 0.5 per cent.
The customs, however, explained that its 2010 revenue target short fall was as a result of the unannounced reductions in fuel tariffs after it had set its targets on grounds of the then prevailing circumstances.
But, barely a week after the announcement, startling revelations poured in from investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas on the various revenue leakages occurring at the revenue collection points of the Tema Harbour mostly involving custom officials.
As a result, many wondered why despite the revenue agencies automation systems controlled and administered by the GCNet, these rampant leakages still exist.
According to the source at the GCNet, the various leakages recorded at the respective revenue units after they were linked to automated systems by GCNet were due to human factors. ‘We only provide the electronic platform against these linkages but we don’t control the human beings working with the systems”, the source intimated.
The source spoke to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of an academic tour by the University For Development Studies (UDS), Navorogo Campus’ branch of the Mathematics Students Associations of Ghana (MASAG) to the company’s head office in Accra.
Government last year contracted the GCNet to provide assurances on goods declared by Destination Inspection Companies (DICs) as based on the monetary values placed on them by their respective importers on a special programme dubbed the VAP.
Per the programme, GCNet is suppose to ensure that goods declared by the DICs fall under the right range as per the value placed on them by their respective importers. The VAP presently operates in some limited revenue units and covers only eight rpoducts thereby leaving the other units and products uncovered.
The source admitted that the geographically limited nature of the VAP at the moment gave most people undue advantages of diverting their goods to points that have not been covered.
“The tendency is that, people are beginning to divert to other entry points in the country that have not yet been covered to clear thereby avoiding the programme. But these loopholes that we have identified would be addressed this year”, the source assured.
As a result, the Source "we are also extending the VAP to cover more goods than the current eight such as electronic and construction goods as well as more geographical locations ”, the source added.
The source further explained that the upgraded warehousing module soon to be deplored “would block the rampant usage of permits to clear goods at the ports”.
“The new thing is to force the people to go and perfect the duty (place the actual value on the goods initially cleared on permit to attract the needed duties and tax) that was cleared on permit”, the source explained.
Also, the source added, the module would help address incidents of importers leaving their goods in the harbour’s warehouses for more than the required time period.
The annual education tour by the students is meant to give them practical experiences on the operations of the ICT company, according to Emmanuel Fritz Dogbe, leader of the group.
Their academic time, Mr Dogbe observed “had been compensated for the first hand information we got about their networking for the revenue agencies”.
“I could have been on campus busily chewing and pouring but I wouldn’t have known that the GCNet is designing a software which would soon be used nation-wide”, he added.
The 28 students, according to their leader started their tour from Navorogo in the Upper East region on Monday, January 31, in which they visited the Kumasi offices of the State Insurance Company (SIC), Vodafone Ghana and continued to the Mahyia Museum for sight seeing.
In Accra, Mr Dogbe said the group after the familiarisation tour at the GCNet would do same at the head offices of the Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) and later proceed to the Tema Harbour after which they would round up their five day tour to the Cape Coast castle in the Central region on Friday February 4.
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