The Independent Tax Appeals Board (ITAB) was established in Ghana by the government, and the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC), a member-based trade group that promotes trade between the UK and Ghana, welcomes this development.
The Board, established in accordance with the Revenue Administration (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Act 1029), shall handle tax disputes and appeals against objection judgments made by the Ghana Revenue Authority.
According to Anthony Pile MBE, Chairman of the UKGCC Executive Council, “we expect that this will boost revenue mobilization, through swift adjudication, precision, and fairness in tax dispute settlement.”
“This is welcoming news for businesses and investors in Ghana, as taxpayers will be given a chance to have a fair hearing of their cases and a determination of the proper amount of their liabilities by an independent body, before being required to pay them. In the previous system of tax appeals, taxpayers had to resort to costly and protracted litigation at the courts to have their disputes with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) resolved.”
The Board, independent of the Ghana Revenue Authority, will ensure an efficient and cost-effective appeal mechanism for tax cases in Ghana, thereby providing a system of transparency, balance, and increased confidence for taxpayers.
Mr. Pile further added that “we are looking forward to the notice of appointment of the Executive Secretary of the ITAB who will be responsible for receiving appeals”.
For years now, the UK – Ghana Chamber of Commerce has been one of the business community’s foremost advocates for tax policy and administration reforms, that best provides an enabling business and investment environment, while raising revenues to support the economic development of Ghana.