The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says it is reshaping tax administration to become more taxpayer-friendly, with new digital support systems, multilingual customer engagement and a softer compliance approach to improve trust and participation.
Technical Advisor to the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Elsie Appau-Klu, said the authority is deliberately introducing a “human face” to tax administration as part of broader reforms targeted at improving the experience of individuals and businesses interacting with the tax system.
She acknowledged that the authority had in the past faced concerns over the tone of some enforcement actions, but said those experiences are helping shape a more service-oriented approach.
According to her, the GRA is training staff across the country to become more “customer-centric,” with taxpayers now increasingly regarded as clients whose cooperation is essential to effective domestic revenue mobilisation.
The shift, she said, is being supported by expanded digital systems intended to reduce friction in registration, filing and payment. Among these is the recently launched Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), which she described as a platform designed to make compliance “more efficient” and significantly reduce the stress associated with paying taxes.
Appau-Klu also said the authority is strengthening taxpayer support channels, including customer service centres across the country and official WhatsApp lines that operate on a 24-hour basis to respond to public enquiries.
The GRA official said these interventions are part of a broader strategy to encourage voluntary compliance rather than relying primarily on punitive enforcement.
She added that taxpayers who consistently meet their obligations will soon benefit from a recognition framework, with management working on a transparent system to reward those who are “doing well” and contributing regularly.
She said the arrangement is meant to build greater trust in the tax system and underline that compliance should be encouraged through fairness and recognition, not enforcement alone.
Appau-Klu also pointed to recent tax policy adjustments that she said are helping reduce the burden on businesses and households, including the abolition of the COVID-19 levy, the electronic transfer levy and VAT on life insurance.
She said these changes, together with administrative reforms, reflect ongoing efforts to improve the tax environment and make formal participation more attractive for businesses, especially SMEs.
The authority, she added, will continue to engage the public through education and digital outreach to deepen compliance and support the government’s wider domestic revenue agenda.
