Adnan Adams Mohammed
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has indicated preparation towards implementing a tax regime for online businesses (e-commerce) from April 1, 2022.
This new tax introduction is geared towards widening the tax net as milions of cedis is recorded on the several e-commerce platforms. This will mean that, the likes of Netflix, Facebook and other multinational online businesses that accrue revenue from Ghana will be compelled to comply with Ghana’s e-commerce tax.
As the light of the proposed introduction of an electronic transfers levy (E-Levy), yet to be considered by Parliament, continuously dimming, the government has resolved to implement a tax regime for online businesses. The GRA has been given a target of GHC80.3 billion tax revenue collection for the year 2022. This translate into and a tax to GDP ratio of up to 16.5%.
“Special-purpose software has been designed to monitor online businesses and tax them accordingly”, the commissioner of GRA, Rev. Ammishaddai Owusu Amoah noted last week at the authority’s 2022 management retreat being held at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho. “Last week, I sat in a presentation of a software, how it works and the demonstration of it and we are confident that by the 1st of April, the taxation of E-commerce will begin.”
The same software shall monitor and tax online gaming and betting activities.
Rev. Amoah further clarified that the e-commerce tax will be targeted at online service providers, both local and foreign.
He expressed confidence that a collaboration with the National Communications Authority will ensure the successful implementation of the new E-commerce tax.
“You know the NCA needs to allow all these multinationals access to be able to do business in Ghana and accrue revenue from here so when the time comes, we will know how to get the multinationals to also comply with our laws,” the GRA boss indicated.
