Accra, Sept. 20, GNA - The Executive Secretary of the Revenue Agencies Governing Board, Mr. Harry Owusu on Tuesday charged revenue collectors to be extra vigilant in ensuring that people do not evade tax.

He said, it had come to the notice of the Board that sometimes, commercial goods through the borders were under-declared in quantity and underestimated in value.

The campaign, which is under the theme: "Compliance: A Prerequisite for Effective Mobilization of Customs Duties and Taxes" was attended by Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) officials at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), stakeholders in revenue collection, as well as senior management of Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Mr. Owusu urged revenue collectors to desist from conniving with tax evaders to deny the state of needed revenue for development. "Some invoices have been found to be fake, while others are doctored as they do not represent the actual database value received by the Destination Inspection Agency.

"Major-General Richardson Baiden, CEPS Commissioner, said there was the need to develop appropriate revenue mobilisation strategy that were responsive to the needs of the community, industry and stakeholders. "Over the years, we have used physical enforcement measures which sometimes turn out to be counter productive." He said, while CEPS would continue to streamline tax procedures to make tax paymet less cumbersome and customer friendly, there was also the urgent need to redefine and consolidate the country's tax laws to make them more purposeful to the business community. General Baiden stressed that the time had come for CEPS to expertly manage its intelligence operations by broadening its network to combat all forms of commercial fraud. He said the attainment of an acceptable level of compliance must be supported by continuous education, legislative reforms and strong commitment to corporate objectives. The sector commander of CEPS at the Airport, Mr K. Dovlo said CEPS needed a scanner at the arrival and departure halls as well as the Cargo Village to improve on their performance. 20 Sept. 05