The call by a partner at PwC Ghana for a comprehensive reform in the country’s tax laws to make them simpler and to encourage compliance, especially for people in the informal sector is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Graphic reports that a partner at PwC Ghana has called for a comprehensive reform in the country’s tax laws to make them simpler and to encourage compliance, especially for people in the informal sector.
Abeku Gyan-Quansah said simplification should precede the design and implementation of any approach to informal sector taxation.
Addressing a virtual public lecture by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) in Accra last Friday, Mr Gyan-Quansah said the government should take steps to modify the over 27 tax laws in order to make it easier for compliance.
The virtual forum hosted several speakers such as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CBS Consulting Limited, Dr Valentin Mensah; a Senior Lecturer of the School of Economics, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. William Brafu-Nsaidoo, and Senior Lecturer of the School of Economics, UCC, Dr Francis Kwaw Andoh.
It discussed topics such as Critical Evaluation of Ghana’s Asset Declaration Regime, Managing Ghana’s Debt and its Sustainability and Roping the Informal Sector into Ghana’s Tax Net.
It attracted more than 200 participants, mainly from the accounting profession.
“We are proposing a thorough RESET (reassure, educate, simplify, enforce and trust) of our tax regime so that we can rope in the informal sector,” Mr Gyan-Quansah said.
The newspaper says that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged beneficiaries of the free senior high school (SHS) policy to concentrate on their studies and come out to be globally competitive citizens.
He advised them to leave the debate about its implementation to the politicians.
“Leave to the politicians the debate of Free SHS and don’t be distracted. Whether we should have Free SHS or we are spending too much money, or whether Akufo-Addo is handling it well, those are not your problems, they are my problem; the problem of those engaged in politics,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo gave the advice when he presented awards to the winners of the Junior Graphic 2021 Essay competition at the Jubilee House in Accra last Friday.
The Junior Graphic National Essay Competition is held in partnership with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advisory Unit at the Office of the President, with support from BiC, IPMC, and the Ghana Library Authority.
This competition is organised to improve the reading and writing skills of children in both basic and junior high schools.
Out of more than 2,970 entries, 11 contestants won the award.
President Akufo-Addo, however, told the students that they should not allow the nature of political debate to scare them when they grow up, because it was a worthwhile endeavour which offered opportunity to serve their people, bring progress and bridge the knowledge and development gap.
He expressed the confidence that with the brilliance exhibited by the winners, one of them could in future become President of the country, but advised that “but for the time being, your emphasis has to be on your learning. Pay attention to what your teachers and parents tell you and work hard.”
The Graphic also reports that the MTN Group has committed to support the government to successfully implement its key flagship programmes meant to transform the economy by adding on to its existing digital infrastructure across the country.
One of such key programmes, the Group said, is the Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (GhanaCares) “Obaatan Pa” programme.
The GH¢100 billion Obaatan Pa initiative is a three and half year comprehensive programme to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, return the country to a sustained path of robust growth and to create a more resilient and transformed economy.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of the MTN Group, Ralph Mupita, who made the pledge when he met with some editors from the media in Accra last Friday, said in spite of the challenges the country was facing, the company’s commitment to the people to invest in building robust digital infrastructure on which the government’s programmes would ride had not been affected.
“We will align ourselves with government programmes such as the GhanaCares programme and we will work closely to figure out whatever challenges there are and work together to solve them.
He acknowledged high inflation in the country but again gave the assurance that would not affect the company’s appetite to invest heavily in capital expenditure.
With regard to profit repatriation and its immense impact on the local currency, the MTN Group president pledged the company’s commitment to repatriate profits in a manner that would not hurt the value of the Ghana cedi against the major foreign trading currencies.
The Ghanaian Times says that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has directed all healthcare facilities across the country to be on the alert for suspected cases of Lassa fever.
It follows reports received on the disease outbreak in some West African countries including Liberia, Togo and Nigeria.
“Given the proximity of these countries both geographically and through travel, it is important that heightened surveillance is implemented to ensure the prompt identification and appropriate investigation of any suspected case,” a statement signed by the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said.
It asked health workers to apply outlined protocols in Ghana’s Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy in suspecting and investigating for Lassa fever.
It defined suspected casesa of the disease as presenting in illness with gradual onset of one or more of the following; malaise, fever, headache, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, myalgia, chest pain, hearing loss and a history of contact with excreta of rodents or with a case of Lassa fever.
The statement added that a confirmed case should have been a suspected case sanctioned by laboratory investigations through an antibody, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or virus isolation test.
“All suspected cases of Lassa Fever should be investigated in line with protocols outlined in Ghana’s IDSR Technical Guidelines with strict adherence to infection prevention and control protocols.
Samples should be dispatched immediately to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research for investigations,” it said.
The newspaper reports that the Deputy National Security Coordinator, Edward Kwaku Asomani, has warned that the risk of terrorist attack in the country was more than eminent.
As such, he has reiterated calls on Ghanaians to heighten their security consciousness and report unusual activities in their area to the security and intelligence agencies for swift and decisive action.
“Within the first quarter of this year, the continent has experienced about 346 terrorist attacks, out of this, 49per cent has occurred in the West African Sub-region.
This clearly indicates that the Sub-region has become the hotbed for terrorism. Not long ago, Togo our neighbour was attacked and they lost 10 of their soldiers,” he emphasised.
Mr Asomani issued the warning when he took his turn at the bi-weekly Minister’s Briefing organised by the Ministry of Information in Accra yesterday.
It was to brief Ghanaians on the launch of the ‘See something Say something Campaign’ to be launched tomorrow in Accra.
The campaign forms part of a number of activities by the government to actively get Ghanaians involved in the safety and security of the country and also parry off any attempt by insurgents.
GIK/APA