Kumasi, Oct. 29, GNA - Artisans and traders at Suame Magazine in Kumasi, have called on the country's revenue collecting agencies to train=

them in basic records and book keeping. This would enable them to acquire knowledge in accounting, tax processing and payments as majority of them are unable to compute their accounts, income assessments and tax liabilities. Mr George Asamoah Amankwa, President of Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization, made the call at a tax education for garage owners, spare parts dealers and commercial transport operators at Suame i= n Kumasi on Tuesday. It was jointly organized by the revenue agencies as part of efforts to improve tax payment and collection in the country. Officials from Customs, Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Value Added Tax Service (VAT), took turns to explain operations, procedures, and processes applied in tax collection a= nd the punitive sanctions tax defaulters faced.

Mr Amankwa complained about the cumbersome procedure for filing tax return forms which according to him was a major disincentive to voluntary=

tax payment. Mr Roger Kaleu, Ashanti Regional Manager of IRS, said that the reven= ue agencies were collaborating with traditional authorities to educate the people on their tax obligation. He said "Integrating chiefs, who are highly respected and influential in=

society into the tax education process, would be beneficial, especially i= n the informal sector, to enhance tax compliance."

Mr Kaleu expressed worry that even though the agencies had over the year= s embarked on tax education this has not yielded the desired results. Mr Robert Mensah, Chief Collector, at Client Relations, CEPS headquarters in Accra, said the Service had introduced measures to facilitate trade while ensuring maximum revenue mobilization. He said these included the electronic data interface, reduction of clearance time, use of scanners at the Ports and electronic tracking syst= ems to regulate transit trade.

Mr Mensah said the Service would continue to rely on chiefs and trade associations and other stakeholders to achieve its mandate. Mrs Adu Boateng, Manager of the Suame VAT office, appealed to custom= ers to always insist on tax invoices to prevent retailers and other VAT registered companies from cheating the nation. She called for concerted efforts to improve revenue mobilization towards national development. Baffour Agyei Kese IV, Adumhene, said chiefs would sustain their support=

for revenue agencies to educate trade associations and individuals on the= ir tax responsibilities to enable the government to raise enough revenue for=

development. He advised the artisans and traders to pay their taxes regularly and promptly to avoid falling foul to the law.